Making the Cut
by RegenesisX
Summary: In a wager against Sephiroth, Genesis stubbornly tries to prove that there's talent somewhere inside that clumsy cadet.
1. Chapter 1

_Edited 7/9/14_

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><p><strong>MAKING THE CUT<strong>

_"If only I were SOLDIER." ~ Cloud Strife_

The small cadet threw himself behind a dumpster, panting heavily as he made to reload his gun with trembling fingers. A loud, disgusting snarl echoed down the alleyway, and the gun nearly slipped out of his hands. He sucked in a few deep breaths to calm himself before finishing with his weapon and scrambling back to his feet. Heading in the opposite direction of the noise, the cadet darted into the shadows.

"Where the hell is he going?" Genesis Rhapsodos demanded, glaring at the screen in front of him. "The monster is the _other_ way."

Beside him, Angeal Hewley sighed. "At the rate he's been going, he's probably better off running."

"That makes the fourteenth time he's tripped," Sephiroth commented. He pointed at the monitor just as the boy's left foot caught on an exposed drain pipe.

Every once and a while, the three Firsts snuck into the observation room to watch the cadets fumble through one of their field tests. They'd laugh over stupid mistakes the boys made, commend the occasional show of bravery, and try to guess which ones would become future SOLDIERs. But this... _T__his_ bumbling idiot took the cake. Not only had he successfully managed to get separated from his team, but he seemed to have no clue where he was going and was being hunted down by a simulation monster he was obviously no match for.

Genesis shook his head in disbelief, pressing his fingers to his temple. No matter how intently he stared, the cadet wasn't receiving any of his psychic urges to turn around and get ready to defend himself from the oncoming monster. "I would point out that he has a perfectly good radio strapped to his sorry ass," he muttered, "but that would be discrediting his intelligence."

The remark elicited a rather unattractive snort from Angeal, who covered his mouth in an attempt to stifle more laughter.

"If he spent more time running and less time tripping," Sephiroth added, "he might not be in this situation."

Ignoring Sephiroth's odd fixation on the boy's clumsiness, Genesis narrowed his eyes as he watched the cadet skitter through the narrow pathways in the Slums, throwing frightened glances over his shoulder every so often. The guard hound, having picked up his scent trail, honed in on him like a heat-seeking missile. It leapt down from a rooftop and landed in front of the cadet, blocking his path.

"Move, you idiot!" Genesis yelled as the monster lunged, taking the boy down. Unfortunately, the cadet couldn't hear him through a computer screen.

Angeal sighed one of his heavy, ashamed sighs. "He should have turned and shot a long time ago."

The cadet struggled against the iron grip the monster had him in. The guard hound fastened its teeth on the green scarf, wrenching its head back and forth to rip it off. When the fabric began to tear, the boy suddenly brought the gun up and slammed the barrel into the side of the monster's head, surprising both the guard hound and the three Firsts watching.

"Well then," Sephiroth said. The cadet, having forced the monster to release him, scrambled back to his feet and brandished his rifle with all the ferocity of a moogle wielding a garden hose.

Genesis glowered at the cadet. "It was about damn time." He stood up from his chair, moving to pace behind the other two. "I don't know if I can watch any more."

"His aim is off," Angeal announced before the sound of the shot even came through the speakers. "He'd do better with a club."

"A club would require a large amount of brute strength to wield," Sephiroth pointed out "and he obviously lacks that."

"A sword, then."

Sephiroth frowned, but Genesis interrupted whatever it was he planned on saying. "Something small and something sharp," he said, bracing his hands on the back of Angeal's chair as he peered at the screen over his shoulder. "A katana, for example. Perhaps even two of them."

While Sephiroth muttered something about incompetence, Angeal nodded encouragingly. "His accuracy would need work, though."

"A _lot_ of work," Genesis agreed. "As well as his reaction time and coordination. He had at least a three second window to dodge before that thing tackled him. I'm surprised at his display with the gun, though. Most cadets wouldn't have thought to use it as a melee weapon. You can't teach that kind of instinct."

Crossing his arms, Angeal glanced up at him. "So, what are you saying?"

"I'm saying that what raw talent he has is going to be ripped to shreds by his cadet training. He doesn't fit into their cookie-cutter 'tall, buff, and stupid' requirements, so it's inevitable that he'll get pushed aside and fail. That's just how the system is set up."

"Unless...?"

Genesis gave Angeal a questioning glance, wondering where he was going with this. "Unless he received a different style of training. But ShinRa isn't going to adjust its training program for _one_ cadet."

"No, but one of us could do it."

Sephiroth's head shot up and he released the chunk of hair he'd been winding around his finger. "You're not suggesting taking _that_ boy as an apprentice? He can't even walk!"

"Hmph." Angeal folded his arms and leered at Sephiroth. "If you're so adamant that he walk correctly, why don't you teach him?"

"The grace I posses is natural and cannot be taught." Feeling vindicated, Sephiroth turned his nose up in a haughty fashion.

Hands tightening on the back of the chair, Genesis bit the inside of his cheek as the wheels in his brain began to turn. It was one thing to take a promising Third on as an apprentice, like Angeal had; it would be completely different to take on a mere cadet who may or may not even pan out in the end. A gamble like that would be the ultimate training challenge. "He _can_ walk and he _will_ walk." The triumphant declaration tumbled out before Genesis could change his mind. "I'll make sure of it."

Both of his friends stared at him for a long moment before they burst out laughing.

"You?" Sephiroth scoffed. "You'd lose your temper and skewer the poor child before the week is over."

Genesis pinned him with an indignant glare. "I would not!"

Angeal, always wanting to avoid a fight, twisted in his chair to rest a hand on Genesis' arm. "I wasn't serious about training him_,_ Genesis."

"Well I am," Genesis snapped, wrenching himself away. "Neither of you believe I can do it, and I fully intend to prove you wrong."

An arrogant smirk plastered itself on Sephiroth's face as he folded his arms across his chest. "You're right. I don't believe you can."

"You don't think I'm good enough?"

"It's not a question of whether or not you're good enough; it's whether or not you'll run out of patience."

"I'll use duct tape to hold it together if I have to," Genesis ground out, fighting the urge to shut Sephiroth up with his fists.

"I would be willing to _bet_ on this."

"Sephiroth—" Angeal started, but Genesis cut him off.

"Fine. Let's bet on it."

Sephiroth looked surprised—Angeal was horrified—but quickly recovered. "In four weeks, the cadets have a performance test they need to pass. If the boy doesn't make the cut, Angeal and I will take an extended leave to Costa del Sol while you remain here with our paperwork and missions."

Angeal shot him a very pointed _'don't get me involved with this,'_ look, but was ignored.

Genesis raised an eyebrow. "And if he does?"

"The vacation is all yours."

That didn't strike him as being as fair as Sephiroth made it out to be. "I'll take the vacation," he yielded, "but you're both coming, too. And you _must_ accompany me to theaters, dinners, and rides through the country on chocobos."

The malicious grin quickly slipped from Sephiroth's face, replaced with a slightly ill expression. "What makes you think you deserve all that?"

"Because, with the both of you gone, I'll end up with three times as much work. Between the two of you, you'd only end up doing half of my work. Thus, there should be something to make up for that."

Glowing green eyes met electric blue, staring each other down. Finally, Sephiroth relented. "Have it your way."

"Oh, I will. _Dreams of the morrow hath the shattered soul, pride is lost, wings stripped away, the end is nigh_."

Predictably, Sephiroth rolled his eyes and looked away.

Genesis turned to Angeal. "Come with me down to the instructor's office. I want to find out my new student's name."

* * *

><p><strong>DAY 1<strong>

Cloud Strife shuffled against the flow of traffic in the crowded hallway. Cadets bustled about, heading to and fro between classes and training. He listlessly allowed himself to be knocked into and shoved, making his way slowly but surely to his combat class. Ever since failing his test yesterday, he'd been completely miserable. It would only be a matter of time before he was thrown out of the ejected from the program. They'd probably be better off without him anyway. He'd never been able to keep up with the rest of his class and, as a result, always got left behind. Turning tail and running from that monster was the final nail in his coffin. He'd been too afraid to even shoot at it.

He slipped through the training room doors, hoping to remain unnoticed, but his hopes were dashed, however, when Instructor Davis made a beeline for him the moment he stepped into the room. The large man thrust a folded piece of paper at him. "Here, kid. Somebody wants to see you."

Cloud's heart sank. Some higher-up, probably, who wanted to tell him to pack his bags and hike back to Nibelheim. Not wanting to prolong the sense of imminent doom churning in his gut, he took the paper and he retreated back out into the corridor. The note was short, written in a neat script.

_Floor 49, training room B. Get in the elevator, press '49,' get out, third door on the right._

Cloud furrowed his brow in confusion. Floor 49 was the SOLDIER floor, wasn't it? Why on Gaia was he being sent to a training room up _there_ of all places? Swallowing, Cloud stopped in front of the elevator. Pushing aside mental images of himself being mercilessly slaughtered by a mob of SOLDIERs, he decided not to puzzle over it.

Once out on the SOLDIER floor, Cloud felt incredibly self conscious. Were cadets even allowed on the SOLDIER floor? Heartbeat racing, he shuffled as quickly as he could to the third door on the right. When the door slid open, Cloud barely had time to register the small round, object whizzing straight at him. A shriek escaped his lips and he raised his arms to protect his face without thinking. Whatever it was bounced off his wrist and rolled harmlessly across the floor.

A slow, measured clapping sounded from the other side of the room.

"Well done," a low, lightly accented voice said. "You have successfully managed to set yourself on fire."

Panicked, Cloud searched his clothes for evidence of flames. Finding none, he glanced up to see a tall, red-haired man standing across the room, one hand casually rested against his hip. A white bucket full of small, yellow balls sat near his feet. The man reached down and pulled one out.

"When I threw the tennis ball at you, what did you do?" he asked.

"I-I..."

Cloud didn't get a chance to respond. "You cowered and blocked your face," the man answered for him. "But say this is a Fire spell. What are you doing to do?"

"Um, duck?" Tennis balls? Fire spells? What?

"You'd better pray to the Goddess you do." With a growl, he lobbed another tennis ball. Squeaking, Cloud barely managed to dodge the projectile in time before it crashed into the wall behind him. This fellow had one heck of an arm.

Another one flew at him, aiming straight for his head. Not half a second after avoiding it, yet another came. Not knowing what else to do, Cloud made a break for it along the perimeter of the room. Fuzzy yellow balls banged into the metal wall like bullets in his wake. He slammed on the brakes when one zipped in front of him, effectively cutting him off. Turning, he barely managed to duck in time as a tennis ball came at his face.

Cloud wanted to scream. When ShinRa sent word of his death to his mother, he'd half-hoped that he would at least die honorably trying to save a small child from a monster or something. 'Pummeled to death by tennis balls' wasn't what he wanted on his epitaph. As much as he hated to admit it, though, it was something that could only happen to him.

As the barrage of "Fire spells" continued, Cloud began to tire and some of the balls knocked into his shoulders and arms. It hurt; there would be bruises in the morning. The redhead also eventually ran out of ammunition and started collecting ones he'd already thrown to reuse.

Cloud gritted his teeth. How long was this going to go on? In a fit of rage, and probably momentary insanity, he bent down, picked up a nearby tennis ball and lobbed it at the redhead with all his might.

Activity in the room screeched to a halt when the man's hand lashed out to snatch the ball out of the air. Cloud's harsh pants were the only sound that could be heard as the two stared at each other. Nothing had changed in the redhead's expression, but Cloud could just _feel_ the waves of cold, barely-controlled fury rolling off him. Finally, the man lowered his arm.

"Your reaction time is much too slow and your technique is beyond sloppy," he barked. "You're moving way more than necessary to avoid attacks and it's made you tired, and _that_ has made you careless. Furthermore, cadets _cannot_ use materia, ergo you would be dead right now."

From what Cloud could tell, the redhead was in SOLDIER. He wore a SOLDIER belt, but didn't _quite_ have the correct uniform. Instead of the standard, loose-fitting cargo pants and army boots, he had on a pair of leather pants and boots that came up past his knees. The sleeveless black top showed off sinewy muscles that flexed and rippled with every subtle movement. A single earring dangled from his right ear, knocking against his jaw.

"What do you want from me?" Cloud asked, tired of feeling helpless.

"I want you to come closer."

He grudgingly did as he was told, skirting the yellow balls that littered the floor.

"Now, stop."

Cloud stopped.

The redhead's bright blue eyes narrowed. "Catch this with your right hand," he instructed, gently tossing the ball to him.

The ball sailed through the air and Cloud caught it deftly.

"Pass it to your left hand."

He moved the ball to his other hand.

"Throw it back to me."

Cloud awkwardly tossed it back. The motion felt foreign using his non-dominant arm.

"Now, do it again."

So he did.

Again.

And again.

And again.

Back and forth they tossed the ball, each time Cloud catching it with his right and throwing with his left. Just as the mundane activity's tediousness was starting to get to him, the redhead broke the silence.

"Reverse and catch it with your left hand, throw with your right."

Cloud reached out his left hand to catch the ball and missed by a good six inches.

His next order came swiftly. "Go pick it up."

Glancing down, Cloud went for the first tennis ball he saw.

"_No!"_

Cloud jumped, having grown used to the silence and soft lull of the redhead's voice, and glanced up in confusion.

"Pick up the one you dropped. Don't be lazy."

At least seven balls were in his immediate vicinity. It could have been any one of them. He chose one at random, bending over. "Is this it?"

The redhead shrugged. "I don't know."

Well. That wasn't helpful at all.

Sighing in exasperation, Cloud took it anyway and returned to his position, preparing to throw it.

"Ah-ah, your _right_ hand throws it."

Catching with his left hand was not as easy as he thought it would be. It took him nearly a dozen tires just to catch it once without dropping it. He paid close attention to where it rolled when he missed, not interested in getting snapped at again. The redhead remained silent through his mistakes, though, critical eyes tracking his every move.

And so they went on. Eventually, the SOLDIER instructed him to pass the ball behind his back from right to left, then left to right. Then they returned to the original exercise and started the whole thing over again. What felt like hours later, the redhead finally caught the ball and folded his arms.

"Your coordination is painfully lousy," he told Cloud, as if this was new information. "After failing your test yesterday, they're only giving you one more chance. The next exam is in four weeks. During that time, you will report here every morning in place of your usual combat class unless I specify otherwise."

Cloud blinked owlishly and his insides shriveled up a little. He was going to have to play high-intensity dodge ball for the next four weeks?

"Now, I want you to gather up all the tennis balls, put them in the bucket, and leave them outside the door." And with that, the man spun on his heel and marched towards the exit.

What? That was it? "You're leaving?" Cloud asked.

"Yes. And you may leave as soon as you've done as I asked."

"But wait! I don't—what am I to call you, sir?"

The redhead didn't so much as glance over his shoulder. "Save the pleasantries for another time, Strife."

Alone and more confused than ever, Cloud set to work cleaning up the mess in the training room, praying no one would come in and ask him what he was doing because he really didn't have an answer.

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><p><strong>AN: **If you've read even this far, you have all of my gratitude. If you're feeling adventurous, then I invite you to continue reading. If not, well, thanks for at least giving it a try :)

_RegenesisX_


	2. Chapter 2

_Edited 7/9/14_

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><p><strong>MAKING THE CUT<strong>

_"What is your dream?" ~ Director Lazard_

* * *

><p>Cloud slumped against the elevator wall in exhaustion. His entire body ached, and a particularly sore spot on his thigh put a limp in his step. He vaugely registered the doors opening once he reached his floor and dragged himself out into the hallway.<p>

Failing that assessment hadn't been part of the plan. What was he going to do if he didn't make it into SOLDIER? He'd never be able to go back home. At this point, the best he could hope for was a low-level position in the regular army. And now, as if the universe felt like he didn't have enough on his plate already, it just _had_ to throw some crazy, red-haired SOLDIER at him. Even if the guy said he was going to help prepare Cloud for his next exam, he wasn't at all convinced the light at the end of the tunnel wasn't just the oncoming train.

A rough shove to his back sent him sprawling on the floor, effectively jolting him from his thoughts. Sinister laughter floated above him as he peeled himself off the ground with a groan.

"Good to see you, _Brother,"_ a familiar voice jeered.

Just as Cloud had made it to his knees, a sharp kick to his side knocked him back down. Cloud gasped, clutching his tender stomach in agony. Biting the inside of his cheek in an attempt to fend off tears, he glanced up at the three figures towering over him.

Jadak Avon leaned down, some of his platinum hair falling over his right eye, and spread his arms. "I'm glad you could finally make it," he said, moving to circle Cloud. "We were beginning to wonder what happened to you, missing class like that. You weren't thinking about running back home without saying goodbye, were you?"

Gritting his teeth, Cloud struggled to his feet. Jadak came back around to stand in front of him, emerald green eyes hard and calculating. His two brothers, Yuza and Zol, loomed behind him; as usual, Yuza looked bored, arms folded across his chest and head tilted lazily to one side, and Zol had a malicious grin plastered across his face as he cracked his knuckles.

There was a time when Cloud thought they could be friends. Not only were the four of them the only blonds in their class, but Jadak was the only cadet, and probably the only person in ShinRa, who was shorter than Cloud. At first they were friendly; they ate lunch with him, stuck with him in class and even took to calling him 'brother' because of his hair. Then one day Yuza dumped his lunch on him and Zol dragged him down to the bathroom to shove his face in a toilet. When Cloud confronted Jadak about it, dirty, wet, and in tears, the other cadet just laughed. Laughed, and then left while his brothers beat him up and tossed him in a supply closet.

"So," Jadak drawled, resting his hands on his hips. "Where have you been, Brother?"

Shifting uncomfortably, Cloud's eyes darted between the three of them. He didn't know what to tell them. He'd been kicked out of combat class? A SOLDIER was training him? He'd had a pressing engagement with an alien? Sniffling, he chose to remain silent.

"Aww, is Brother going to cry?" Zol teased, shooting a brief, but dirty, look at Yuza. Yuza smirked back, chuckling in that eerie, disembodied way of his. A shiver ran down Cloud's spine.

"Nothing to say? How very rude." Jadak jerked his head, sending the other two into action. They each grabbed one of Cloud's arms and began to haul him down the hallway after their younger brother.

Cloud trembled between them, breath catching in his throat when they entered the bathroom. Jadak kicked one of the stalls doors open and Cloud was forced down onto his knees in front of the toilet. One of Zol's larger hands trapped his wrists behind his back and the other pushed his head closer to the deceptively clear-looking water.

Jadak's voice came from somewhere above him. "I think they may have cleaned the toilets sometime last week, but I can't be sure. You don't mind though, do you, Brother?"

And with that, Cloud's face was submerged. He struggled in vain against the hands holding him, but it was useless. Zol was much stronger than him. Laughter echoed around the stall and someone flushed the toilet, causing Cloud to startle in fright, accidentally inhaling a mouthful of water. The water finally drained from the bowl, allowing him few precious seconds to cough and suck in another breath before it filled up again.

Finally, he was pulled back out and released. Cloud dropped to the floor, gagging.

"Have a nice day, Brother," Jadak called as they trooped out of the stall. "Hopefully we'll meet again soon."

After that, Cloud couldn't help it. He pulled his knees to his chest and sobbed. Once upon a time, he thought he could be strong. Strong enough to keep someone from getting hurt, strong enough to save someone. But what good was he if he couldn't even save himself? He didn't hear the bathroom door open, but he jerked his head up when he felt a hand on his arm.

"Hey," a soft, unfamiliar voice said. "You okay?"

Through his tears, Cloud could see the fuzzy form of a boy with black hair and what appeared to be a SOLDIER uniform crouching down next to him. Cloud struggled to get his sore body to sit up and was grateful when the SOLDIER reached out to help him.

"Are you alright?" he asked again.

The question almost made Cloud laugh. "Not really. But I'll be fine."

A concerned expression crossed the SOLDIER's face. "Well, if you're sure..." He hesitated, then asked, "What's your name?"

"Cloud Strife, sir," he croaked, throat scratchy from choking on toilet water.

The SOLDIER laughed, a grin lighting up his face. "I'm Zack Fair. And you can drop the 'sir.'"

"Uh, yes sir—Er, Zack?"

"There ya go!" Zack smile grew even broader. "Why don't we get you cleaned up and we'll go eat lunch together?"

Ordinarily, Cloud would've been suspicious of a SOLDIER offering to help a cadet, but there was such raw honesty in Zack's eyes that made him accept the outstretched hand to let the SOLDIER pull him to his feet.

A half-hour later saw the two of them sitting in the hallway outside the Mess Hall, eating ham sandwiches.

"So, Cloud, where are you from?"

Cloud swallowed his bite of sandwich before replying. "Nibelheim." Ignoring Zack's outburst of laughter, he asked, "What about you?"

"Me? I'm from Gongaga," Zack said. He puffed out his chest, like being from Gongaga was an accomplishment.

Biting his lip, Cloud tried to hold back his own snickers, but failed miserably.

"Hey!" Zack's expression turned into a pout. "What's so funny?"

"It's just such a backwater name, that's all."

"Right, and what do you call Nibelheim?"

Cloud rolled his eyes in response. "Blame the Mako reactor."

They ate in a companionable silence for a few moments and Cloud attempted to dislodge a piece of lettuce from between his teeth as subtly as he possibly could. Finally, Zack spoke again.

"You... don't have to tell me if you don't want to... But what happened back there in the bathroom?"

Cloud picked at his food. What if Zack made fun of him for getting bullied? Then again, he'd found him crying in a bathroom stall; if Zack was going to laugh at him, he would've done it already. "Well... these guys—Jadak and his brothers—kind of have it out for me," he said. "I don't know why, they just..."

When he looked back up at Zack, he saw the older boy giving him a kind smile. "Hey," he said. "If those guys start giving you trouble again, you just come to me. I'll show them what being a SOLDIER _really_ means."

It was in that moment that Cloud realized this was the first time anyone had offered to stand up for him. Here, or back home. Not knowing what to say, he soundlessly worked his jaw until words came. "Uh, th-thanks," he finally managed. "Thanks, Zack."

* * *

><p>It was well past the time he usually returned to his apartment when Genesis finally happened to glance over at the clock. Rubbing his eyes and stifling a yawn, he continued with his reading. After getting the cadet's name, Genesis had briefly skimmed his file. Now that he'd met his student in person, he returned to that file to see what puzzle pieces he could fit together.<p>

Cloud Strife. Fifteen years old, under-height, under-weight, and under-educated. Born and raised in Nibelheim, a smudge on the map on the other continent, south-west of the Corel area. No formal training and his schooling had been done at home by his mother. Barely passed his entrance exam and was at the bottom of all his classes.

The reports from his instructors indicated that he was very reserved and didn't seem to interact with anyone during or outside of class. He preferred to work on his own as opposed to practicing with the other cadets, and had several times been observed being pushed around by his classmates, but never complained. Just as Sephiroth had continually pointed out, he was clumsy and tended to scare easily. When upon being asked why he froze up so frequently, Genesis noted with interest, Strife had responded that he didn't feel safe with a gun.

Why, then, did this scrawny, antisocial, chocobo-haired boy join the army? Nothing he'd read so far answered that question.

Genesis resolved to find out.

* * *

><p><strong>DAY 2<strong>

Cloud hiked his way up the stairs, wincing as his body protested the movement. Waking up had been a painful shock. Big purple and black bruises spattered his skin, making it difficult to stretch and put on clothing. Grimacing as he reached the next floor, he couldn't help but hope yesterday had been nothing but a cruel joke.

Much to his dismay, the auburn-haired SOLDIER was waiting for him. No tennis balls were in sight, which marginally eased Cloud's mind. The rope draped around the man's shoulders, however, did not.

"Good morning," he greeted, tone cold and impersonal. "In pain today?"

Cloud nodded, knowing it was useless to deny it.

"Do you know what _pain_ is, Strife?"

"Um... physical ailment?"

A sharp glint flashed in the redhead's eyes as he stalked over and shoved Cloud back against the wall. Cloud gasped as his tender skin connected with the metal. "_Pain_," the redhead hissed, "is when you've been stabbed through the gut and you have to keep fighting. _Pain_ is when you feel the teeth of a behemoth sink into your arm and threaten to rip it off. _Pain_ is when you've fallen from atop a Mako reactor and landed so hard on the ground below that it's a _miracle_ you're still alive with all of the bones you've shattered."

The blond's eyes widened and his stomach twisted at the notion of living through being skewered or losing an arm.

"I have experienced all of this, and I know what pain is." The redhead jabbed a finger at his chest. "_You._ You got hit by a couple of tennis balls. If you think that's painful, you might as well hitchhike back home. So I ask you again: are you in pain today?"

Gulping hard and setting his jaw, Cloud shook his head. He wasn't going to let this guy intimidate him. It would take a lot more than that to scare him off, and he would prove it.

The redhead stared at him for a long moment before turning around and striding back to the middle of the room. Hesitantly, Cloud trailed behind. Un-looping the rope from his neck, the redhead held it out. "This is a jump rope. Start jumping."

A jump rope? Cloud frowned, taking it and fingering the soft rope. "We're not going to play hopscotch too, are we?"

He immediately regretted the words the second they left his mouth as a hand struck hard across his face. Either the shock or the sting—one of the two—caused his eyes to water.

The redhead's expression showed an astonishing lack of emotion, considering he'd just hit Cloud. "If you talk back to me, your jaw gets broken and you will no longer talk at all."

More than a little shaken, Cloud fumbled to grip the handles on the jump rope and began to swing it. He hopped neatly over the rope the first few times, but it didn't take long for his cumbersome boots to catch on it when he didn't jump high enough. It was all he could do to keep himself upright as he untangled himself.

"It's hard to jump," he muttered, in no hurry to embarrass himself.

The redhead folded his arms. "And that is precisely why you will do it. Jump to one hundred, then stop."

Taking a deep breath and squaring his shoulders, Cloud began again. _One, two, three, four, five_... The redhead didn't make any moves to leave, he just stood there watching. Feeling pressured by the scrutiny, it didn't take Cloud long to trip up again.

"Do I have to start back at one?" He sincerely hoped not.

"I don't know. Do you?"

Cloud resisted the urge to groan. It would take him forever to jump one-hundred times consecutively. Starting back where he had left off, he jumped. _Nine, ten, eleven..._

He hated this. Not only did he not know what was going on, but he didn't even know who was teaching him. He was supposed to be preparing for his next exam, wasn't he? How was throwing tennis balls and jump roping going to help? As far as he knew, neither were effective against monsters. And on top of that, who refused to give their student their name? Sneaking a glance out of the corner of his eye, Cloud opted to dub him "Crimson." Not particularly clever or original, but at least he could personify his dislike for the guy.

Several stumbles, three falls and one hundred jumps later, Cloud finally stopped. His calf muscles screamed, involuntarily tensing as they shivered from the excessive use. He held out the rope. "There. One hundred jumps."

Crimson looked unimpressed and arched an eyebrow. "How many push-ups can you do?"

In regular classes, they made all the cadets do push-ups. Predictably, Cloud was terrible at them and always tired out before the rest of his class. "Twenty, maybe."

"Do it."

Cloud got down on the floor, set the rope aside, assumed his push-up position, and was promptly reprimanded.

"Can't you do anything right?" Crimson barked. "Move your hands underneath your shoulders and spread them farther apart. And for Shiva's sake, get your ass _down!_ You look like a bloody chocobo!"

Cloud shifted his arms and lowered his hips. This did not please Crimson as much as he'd hoped it would. Moving to stand beside him, Crimson bent down and adjusted Cloud's posture.

"You're rocking back too far with your hips," he said, pushing Cloud's shoulders forward, "and it's taking the weight off your arms. That is considered cheating and I won't allow it. Begin."

Cloud lowered himself.

"Not so low! Don't smash your nose against the floor. Stop when your upper arms are parallel to the floor."

The muscles in his eyeballs strained when he tried to roll them as he pushed himself back up.

"You're _rocking your hips back_."

"I can't do this! How am I supposed to pass anything if I can't even do a push-up?"

Crimson sighed sharply. "You _can." _A heavy foot was placed on the small of Cloud's back. "Twenty pushups. Go."

Gritting his teeth, Cloud lowered down, stopped and went back up. Receiving no correction, he soldiered on. The weight on his back prevented him from reverting to his faulty posture, but it made pushing up that much harder. By the time he reached fifteen he was ready to quit, but forced his shaking arms to lift himself back up until he reached twenty.

He dropped to the floor with a thud, panting.

"Every night, I want you to do twenty," Crimson said. "When twenty becomes easy, do twenty-five. When you can do that, do thirty."

"Wha-what if I'm not... not doing them r-right?"

"You will learn, because from now on the moment you come in here, it will be the first thing I expect you to do."

Cloud nearly moaned aloud. He could barely lift his arms. What with the bruising and the jumping, he was going to be a sore mess tomorrow.

"And as long as you're on the ground, you might as well do your sit ups."

"S-sit ups?" Cloud didn't _want_ to do sit ups.

"Yes. On your back, knees up, arms crossed. _Now._"

Obediently, he flopped over and did as he was bid. "Could you... hold my feet down?"

Crimson rolled his eyes, but knelt down on Cloud's toes.

"How many?"

"Until you can't do any more. Count."

_One, two, three, four, five, six..._ Cloud pulled himself up, furrowing his brown in concentration. He was having a hard time keeping his arms crossed in front of his chest because they felt so loose and numb. And every time he laid down, his back kept slamming into the floor. It managed to both knock the breath out of him _and_ hit his bruises. Seventeen situps later, he called it quits.

"I'm done," he grunted.

"Hmph." Crimson sat back and crossed his legs.

Silence fell between them for several long minutes. Cloud tried to quiet his harsh breathing. Even though combat training seemed rigorous, it was only because the instructors moved too quickly for him to keep up. He stumbled through drills, fumbled with his gun, and cheated on his push-ups. He could walk for an indefinite amount of time, but he'd been proven useless at doing anything else.

"Tell me, Strife. Why did you come to Midgar?"

Cloud's cheeks flushed in embarrassment. "I wanted to join SOLDIER, sir." Would Crimson think he was pathetic?

But Crimson didn't laugh. "Why would you want to do that?"

"T-to be a hero, like General Sephiroth."

Crimson snorted, looking away. "Sephiroth." His voice took on a nasty edge when he spoke the general's name. "You'll never be like him, Strife. Of that, you can be sure."

Cloud bit his bottom lip in shame. Of course he would never be like Sephiroth. Someone else bigger and stronger would get to be the hero while he watched from the sidelines.

Just like home.

_Tifa..._

"You haven't got the right body type. You'll be lucky if you even reach his shoulder. And that man is stronger than just about anything you can think of. The way he fights would be useless for you; it's all power and attack. You'd tear you body to pieces trying to do something like that."

Cloud hung his head in defeat. "You're wasting your time. I should just leave ShinRa and be done with it."

"I thought you said you wanted to join SOLDIER."

"It's impossible."

"Who said that? So you aren't the next 'Sephiroth.' Learn to use your size to your advantage. Figure out how your body works. In fact, you'll have to; otherwise, you won't make it through the next four weeks."

Cloud stared at Crimson, bewildered. Ten minutes ago, the man had been flinging insults at him left and right. "I don't understand. What are you trying to accomplish?"

"In due time, Strife, it will make sense. For now, you will simply have to have faith that I know what I'm doing."

"But why?Why me? Why not some other, better cadet?" For once, Cloud was desperate to hear he was a complete failure. He wanted someone to flat-out tell him he was hopeless. He was tired of people constantly trying to encourage him and only setting him up to fail. He'd made the mistake of trusting in someone like that before. Now he had his own personal nightmare to show for it.

Crimson gave him a long, hard look before rising to his feet. "Because I know what it's like to not feel good enough."

Before Cloud could as what he meant, Crimson was headed towards the door.

"You're free to go rest before your next class since we finished early, but I wouldn't recommend it. If I were you, I'd spend some time working on your own. The tennis balls are in the closet across the hall."

As he watched the enigmatic man leave, Cloud realized that for the first time, Crimson had given him a suggestion instead of a direct order. He could either leave and fail on his own, or he could stay and see what sort of help Crimson had to offer. Staggering to his feet, he retrieved the jump rope and began to jump.

_One, two, three..._

* * *

><p><em>RegenesisX<em>


	3. Chapter 3

_Edited 7/9/14_

* * *

><p><strong>MAKING THE CUT<strong>

_"Three friends go into battle. One is captured, one flies away, and the one that's left becomes a hero." ~ Genesis Rhapsodos_

* * *

><p><strong>DAY 3<strong>

9:30.

Genesis began to count silently in his head. One of the more pressing items on his 'To Do' list was to fix Cadet Strife's habitual tardiness. The boy was constantly late to his classes. It was only by three or five minutes, but, like a splinter left untreated, it could escalate into something worse. The sooner the problem could be solved, the better.

The training room door opened and Strife staggered in, still limping noticeably.

"You're late," Genesis snapped, startling him.

Strife glanced at the clock above the door. "Sir? I-I'm not on time? It's just nine-thirty..."

"You are exactly forty-three seconds late. The only way you could be _on time_ is if you arrived at the precise moment it became nine-thirty. Beyond that you are considered tardy, as it is past the appointed time."

"But that's impossible!" Strife squeaked.

"Then I suggest you make adjustments to get here earlier. Twenty pushups."

Strife's mouth opened and closed a few times before he uttered the _one_ thing Genesis did not want to hear. "I'm sorry, sir."

"Stop wasting my time. The only thing worse than those who don't have to courtesy to keep their engagements are those who apologize incessantly." Genesis jabbed a finger at the floor. "Push-ups, _now."_

Dropping to his knees, Strife planted his hands on the floor and began his push-ups. His position had improved tremendously from yesterday's atrocity; his arms were in the correct places, but he was still depending on his hips to bring himself up. Genesis moved to rest his foot on the his lower back.

"Keep your body still," he instructed, quieting his tone. "Just move your arms."

Strife shuddered underneath the extra weight and his push-ups became considerably slower, face turning red with effort. It was obvious even a simple exercise was difficult for the boy. He flopped to the floor after the twentieth push.

Genesis removed his foot. "Since I expect you are sore today, we'll start out with something easy." Walking to the wall, he pulled a tennis ball out of the bucket he'd brought. "Catch with your right, throw with your left."

"Yes, sir," Strife muttered, stiffly rising to his feet. They quickly fell into a methodical rhythm.

"Did you do this after I left?"

"Yes, sir."

"How?"

"I bounced it off the wall."

Today Strife seemed subdued, as if his aching muscles were beginning to wear on him. Genesis wasn't looking for subdued, though. He didn't want the cadet to simply comply with his wishes, regardless of however ridiculous they might be. Ever since seeing that stark determination flash in his eyes, he knew Strife had fire. And who better than the Crimson General himself to feed the flames?

"Switch hands," he ordered. "What else did you do?"

"I jump-roped, then did twenty push-ups before bed."

Even though he was a smidgen impressed by his initiative, Genesis wasn't about to show it. Strife hadn't the slightest clue how hard he was going to make him work to squeeze a compliment out of him and he desperately hoped the boy was up for the task.

"How many jumps could you do in a row?"

Fumbling, Strife barely managed to catch the ball, still not quite confident with his left hand."Forty-six. It's hard to do them with boots on, sir."

"I want one hundred jumps, no trips, forwards and backwards by the end of the week." He would not have Strife tripping through his testing again. Sephiroth was going to have to find something else to pick at.

Strife looked like he wanted to protest, but wisely chose to remain silent. Finally, Genesis caught the ball and held onto it.

"Go jog around the perimeter of the room," he said, jerking his head to one side.

He watched as Strife reluctantly moved out to a slow trot along the wall. There was no denying he was most definitely sore. The back of one shoe scraped just a little too hard on the floor, making him stumble.

"Pick up your feet!"

Relying on his enhanced hearing, Genesis paid close attention to the sound of the Strife's breathing. It had quickly become ragged after the length of one wall, which only served to reinforce the need to build up endurance. Much to Genesis' surprise, Strife continued to keep going after three laps. His breathing had become quite harsh and the room was by no means a small one. Genesis was half tempted to see how far he would go before he stopped, but with what little he knew about the cadet, that would likely be until he collapsed.

Finally, Genesis flagged him down. "Alright, that's enough." When Strife clumsily slowed to a walk, he motioned for the cadet to stop. "Stay at that wall."

Strife did as he was told, bracing an arm against the metal to catch his breath. Genesis allowed him a few moments. Strife was not a SOLDIER. Not yet.

"Run as fast as you can from there to the opposite wall," Genesis pointed, "and back again."

Red-faced and sweating, Strife lowered himself slightly and took off. Genesis was unable to hold back his smirk. His assumptions had been correct: Strife was one hell of a sprinter, and would probably have no trouble keeping up with an enhanced SOLDIER were he more fresh. In a lot of ways, Genesis reflected, Strife was much like himself. Up until a sudden growth spurt in his late teens, he'd been petite, too. Even though his height now had him only an inch shorter than Sephiroth, he still remained more slender than either of his friends and most of the other SOLDIERs. Speed was his greatest asset, and so it would become Cloud Strife's as well.

"Come take a walk with me," he said, starting off at a brisk pace around the room. When Strife had to trot to keep up, Genesis slowed for him. "I read in your report that you don't feel safe behind a gun. Why not?"

A flush crept up to Strife's cheeks. "I have terrible aim, sir," he mumbled. "I'm always afraid I'm not going to hit whatever I'm shooting at. It doesn't feel reliable."

Some cadets were crack shots and couldn't understand why SOLDIERs used swords. But for the ones like Strife, who shied at every shadow, a gun was borderline useless.

"Do you feel confident fighting hand-to-hand?"

"No, sir. Everyone else in my class is taller than I am, and I always end up getting beaten."

Genesis sighed. "Fighting with a sword is similar to hand-to-hand combat in the way that it becomes an extension of oneself. Have you started melee training yet?"

"No, sir," Strife shook his head.

"You come from Nibelheim. Did you ever partake in any kind of physical activity there?"

"Hiking up the mountains, not much else."

That sounded like something Angeal would enjoy. Genesis rolled his next question around in his head, debating whether or not to ask it. "When you face an opponent, what do you feel?"

Strife was silent while he organized his thoughts. "Mostly fear, sir." His voice had dropped to a near-whisper. "I know I can't beat them, and they know it too. I just... I wish I knew what to do, but I don't. And that's really scary, because that could cost me my life someday."

"What do you mean you 'wish you knew what to do?'"

"They say 'go out there and kill a monster,' but shooting at a target is a lot different from shooting a monster. I know some cadets who can pick up a gun and hit anything that moves, but I can't. I just... don't know what I'm supposed to do."

"And that scares you?"

"Wouldn't it scare you?"

Genesis wasn't sure if he'd ever been asked if he was afraid of anything before. As a First, it was expected that he was not. "I suppose it would," he said. "Do you ever improvise?"

"...Sir?"

"Make something up when you're not sure."

"I-I don't know. Mostly I freeze up and get yelled at."

"When that monster had you down during your test, you took your gun and walloped that thing as hard as you could. What made you do that?"

"I... I'm not sure," Strife said, shrugging. "I just did it."

"_That_," Genesis emphasized, "is called instinct. It's your brain automatically compensating for what you're not sure about in a tight situation, and it can save your life."

Strife nodded, lowering his eyes. "If I may ask, sir... What do _you_ feel when you're against something stronger than you?"

Unbidden, the image of Sephiroth flew into Genesis' head. "Anger." He hadn't meant to say it, but there wasn't any taking it back. "I get angry because my enemies are only as strong as I let them be. Because strength doesn't have anything to do with it, it's how the game is played. And I will not allow myself to lose."

Genesis wasn't exactly sure why he was opening up like this, but in a way he was glad. Strife had no prior knowledge of his character, therefore could make no judgment of him based on past actions.

...And it felt good to be looked up to instead of down upon.

* * *

><p>"Brother's not here again."<p>

A quick sweep of the room confirmed that Zol was indeed correct and Cloud hadn't shown up for combat class, yet again. It was odd, because as far as they knew, he hadn't been sent home. And yet, for the past three days there had been no traces of him, save for those few minutes in the hallway the first day. Brother was getting pretty good at avoiding them as of late, but they usually managed to catch him at some point. Never had he just up and vanished like this before. Jadak sighed. Combat class wasn't nearly as much fun without him.

"Maybe he got switched to a different group," Jadak suggested off-handedly. Pulling his rifle up, he fired a few rounds into the target on the wall. The cadets stationed next to him looked on jealously; they hadn't had much luck hitting their own targets.

Zol's expression morphed from disappointment to sadness and he hugged his gun to his chest, letting out a choked sob.

Yuza, who'd been reloading his rifle, brushed by and took up Jadak's spot facing the target. He gave Zol a condescending look as he passed. "Don't cry, Zol."

"I am _not_ crying," Zol insisted even as he wiped his tears. "I'm just gonna miss playing with Brother."

Ignoring Zol's melodrama, Jadak watched the bullets from Yuza's gun fly into the target, all of them hitting dead-center. His own shots had hit in the middle ring, but weren't nearly as consistently accurate as Yuza's. He was like a machine. Out of the corner of his eye, Jadak caught sight of the other cadets, jaws agape and eyes shining with admiration. It was no secret Yuza was a good shot. Biting his bottom lip, he reached underneath Yuza's rifle and tipped it ever so slightly off-center just as he pulled the trigger. The shot flew wide, hitting in the very outside ring.

It was the only one of any of their shots that had landed that far off the mark.

Jadak felt the icy trickle of Yuza's glare, but didn't take his eyes off the target. "Yeah." A faint smile ghosted across his lips. "I will too."

* * *

><p><em>RegenesisX<em>


	4. Chapter 4

**MAKING THE CUT**

_"There is no hate, only joy, for you are beloved by the goddess." ~ Loveless, Act II_

"Hey Cloudy!"

Only vaguely acknowledging his new friend's presence, Cloud simply allowed Zack to catch up with him. A heavy hand thumped down on his shoulder.

"What's with you?" the Second asked, frowning a little. "You seem a little down in the dumps."

Cloud rubbed his eyes, shaking his head. "I'm just tired." A growl bubbled through his stomach. "And hungry."

"Well, c'mon then. We'll eat lunch together," Zack grinned. "Why are you so tired? I know cadeting is rough, but you look totally out of it."

Cloud debated whether or not to tell Zack about Crimson. There had to be a reason the redhead hadn't given him his name and as much as he wanted to know who the man was, he decided it would be better to err on the side of caution.

"We, uh, got this new instructor." It wasn't an outright lie, it just wasn't quite the truth.

"He pretty tough?"

"Yeah," he nodded.

Zack laughed, giving him a shove. "Maybe it'll toughen _you_ up," he joked. "Gaia knows you need a little more muscle."

_Hopefully all those pushups will do me some good,_ Cloud thought as they approached the Mess Hall. "If how sore I am is anything to go by, I'll be _tough_ in no time."

"_Are_ you sore?"

Cloud nodded again.

"You should take a hot shower or something," Zack suggested. "Angeal says its good for relieving muscle stress."

Following the Second to a table, Cloud considered. Zack's mentor had come up a number of times during their few conversations and it seemed like the two were relatively close. "Hey, Zack?" He bit his bottom lip, fiddling with his gloves. "Does Angeal give you a lot of advice?"

Zack rolled his eyes. "Sometimes I'm half-tempted to just tell him to shut up already, but then I'd get a lecture on respecting my superiors. Why? You in need of some friendly advice?"

"Nah, I just wondered." Cloud slid into his chair. "Must be kinda nice though, right? I mean, if you ever feel lost or stuck, you can just go ask him."

Zack scratched the back of his head. "Huh. Never really thought of it like that," he shrugged. "Yeah, I suppose he's pretty helpful. A little vague sometimes, but it's not like I expect him to spell _everything _out for me. Some things you've gotta figure out on your own, you know?"

_At least _you _don't have tennis balls lobbed at you without any apparent explanation_, Cloud glowered. The Second caught his dark expression.

"Are you _sure_ you're okay, Cloudy?"

"I'm _fine_," the cadet snapped, slamming his hands down on the table.

Laughing, Zack backed off. "Hey, just asking," he chuckled. "No need to go all Genesis on me."

Cloud blinked. "What?"

"Don't you know who Genesis Rhapsodos is?"

"I haven't the slightest idea."

"Good grief, Cloud. What rock have you been living under?" Zack stuck out his tongue when Cloud swatted at him. "Seriously though, be _glad_ you don't know. He's one of the top Firsts in the company, right underneath Sephiroth, but he's most famous for his temper. You don't want to piss that guy off." The Second's face became uncharacteristically serious. "_And_ he _hates_ cadets. So do me a favor, Spiky, and stay away from him. Cuz I really don't want to have to scrape you off the side of the building."

With his luck, Cloud would probably end up right under the guy's nose without knowing it, but he nodded anyway. "I'll try."

"Don't try, _do it_. I'm gonna go fetch us some grub. You just sit tight, Cloudy with a Chance of Rain."

"Ha-ha, very funny, Mr. Fair Weatherman."

* * *

><p><strong>DAY 4<strong>

It was twenty-five after nine when Cloud hurried into the training room. He'd narrowly managed to dodge running into Jadak and his brothers, who were usually the cause of his tardiness, and arrived a solid five minutes early. Hopefully that would be good enough for Crimson.

"Morning," he greeted, trying to be friendly.

Crimson stood against the back wall, loading something into what looked suspiciously like a fake gun. A blank white sheet of paper was hung up near him. He didn't bother glancing up. "Twenty pushups."

Slightly offended by the curt order, Cloud shuffled awkwardly before getting down on the floor. "Am I doing these right?"

"I don't know. Are you?"

The cadet glared over at the redhead, who wasn't even paying attention. He'd started to get used to the constant corrections, but being ignored was not something he enjoyed. As much as he was loathe to admit it, the pushups were getting easier as well. His arms ached, but he found it less difficult to simply force himself through them.

"Two laps around the room."

The order came just as soon as he'd gotten back up. With a sigh, Cloud took to the wall and began to jog. Aerobic work was something he'd always hated. No matter how hard he tried, he just couldn't keep going for as long as the other cadets.

One hand flew out to catch himself as he stumbled. He snuck a glance at Crimson, who hadn't made his usual comment on his clumsiness. Confused, Cloud picked up his pace a little, making sure to pay attention to his feet.

The SOLDIER moved to meet him when he finished. "Sit down, Strife," he said.

Cloud joined him on the floor. "Yes, sir?"

"Stick both of your feet out and touch your toes."

The cadet did as he was asked, fingertips barely managing to brush his boots. He attempted to lean father forward.

"I am not asking that you become a contortionist, cadet," Crimson barked. "If you can't do it, you can't do it. Don't strain yourself."

Embarrassed, Cloud relaxed a little and let his hands rest on his ankles.

"Now bend one leg sideways and touch your toe."

He started to pull one leg up to his chest, but Crimson's hand caught his knee and forced it to lay flat on the floor.

"_Sideways_," he repeated.

How many mistakes could he possibly make in less than twenty minutes? He reached and touched his toes, finding it much easier to wrap his hand over the tip of his foot.

"Now switch legs."

He bent his opposite knee and reached for his other foot.

"That's enough," Crimson decided after a few moments, rising to his feet and striding over to the wall. Cloud took that as a sign to follow and trailed after him. He leaned over to pick up the gun and propped it against one shoulder.

"May I ask what that is, sir?" The blond warily eyed the weapon.

"This is a paintball gun," Crimson replied. "And you will be shooting it at that piece of paper."

A _paintball_ gun? Was he serious? "Um, sir?"

The redhead paid him no mind and started back towards the middle of the room. "Do you know what happens to a bullet after it's fired out of a gun?" he asked over his shoulder.

"Uh." Cloud wracked his brain, trying to find an answer that wouldn't make him sound completely foolish. "It flies through the air?"

"Indefinitely?" Crimson demanded. "It will just keep going forever until it hits something?"

"I-I don't know, sir."

"Then you'd best think about it."

"...It will slow down?"

"Yes," the redhead nodded, "but it will do something else before it makes a significant change in speed. If I threw _you_, where would you land? Would you continue to sail through the air until you smacked into something?"

Cloud shuddered at the thought of being thrown by the SOLDIER. "N-no, sir. I would hit the ground."

"Why?"

"Uh, gravity?"

"Precisely." Crimson patted the gun. "A shooter has to take into account gravity's pull whenever they fire a gun. That is why it is necessary to aim slightly above whatever you're shooting at in order to hit where you want."

This was starting to sound like a physics lesson. "They never told us that in training. They just said to shoot until we hit it..."

Rolling his eyes, the redhead shoved the paintball gun at him. "That explains your awful aim then," he muttered. "Fire a few shots at the paper. You clean up whatever lands on the wall."

Uncertainly, Cloud took the gun and aimed for the paper.

"Stand up straighter! And pull your elbows in, for Gaia's sake. Damn chocobo..."

Readjusting his posture, the blond shot. A pink splatter appeared near the left side of the paper.

"And again."

Cloud tried hitting closer to the center of the paper, but somehow managed to get orange near the top right corner. Five more shots followed, all of them randomly spattered about the large white sheet. This was impossible! Perhaps this proved his suspicions—Yuza was a psychotically brilliant shot not because he had good aim, but because he was actually an alien.

Silently, Crimson walked to the wall, picked up a marker from the ground and slashed a line horizontally across the middle of the sheet, then a vertical one through its center. "You are to shoot in the quadrant I specify. If you miss, you will try again until you succeed," he announced as he returned.

Hadn't they already established his aim was horrible? Cloud grimaced, lifting the gun again.

"Lower right corner."

_Spat! Spat! Spat!_

Blue, red and yellow flew anywhere _but_ where he wanted them to go. Blue and red landed in the lower left and yellow landed all the way in upper left.

"I can't do this," he moaned, wrestling with the urge to throw down the mock gun. Why couldn't he do anything right? He never should have left home. It would've been better if he'd just stayed in Nibelheim and worked in one of the shops. At least he could _sweep_ without needing to worry about faulty position.

"You can." Cloud jump when strong hands gripped his shoulders. "Stand up straight," Crimson murmured. "You're leaning too far to the right and it's throwing off your perspective. Look _straight_ down the barrel."

Cloud sighed, rolling his shoulders back, and followed the instructions. The redhead shifted his body slightly and suddenly the barrel of the gun came into sharper focus.

"You're too tense," Crimson whispered. "You're thinking too hard about hitting the mark and what to do if you don't. No one is going to punish you if you miss. There's no instructor to yell at you, and there's no monster threatening to eat you. It's just you and that piece of paper."

Letting the words wash over him, the cadet stared down the nose of the gun to a spot in the center of the lower right rectangle. No cruel instructors, no viscous monsters, no snickering cadets. Crimson wasn't going to beat him over the head. No one's life was at stake.

It was only him...

...and the paper.

Drawing in a slow breath, Cloud squeezed the trigger.

_Spat!_

His mouth fell open in shock.

A small, purple dot _exactly_ where he'd aimed.

"I...I did it," he breathed, unable to believe it. "I actually did it." Maybe Yuza wasn't an alien after all.

Had he turned around, he might have caught the smirk that flashed across Crimson's face. Even so, the redhead betrayed his indifference with a gentle stroke across the boy's shoulder.

"Upper left corner."

* * *

><p><em>RegenesisX<em>


	5. Chapter 5

**MAKING THE CUT**

_"I see. So you've finally made your decision." ~ Genesis Rhapsodos_

**DAY 5**

"Fancy meeting you here."

Genesis looked up from the materia skills book he was flipping through to see Angeal standing across the table, arms crossed in his typical pose. "Hello Angeal," he greeted shortly before returning to his reading.

"I was beginning to think you'd vanished," Angeal remarked. "I haven't seen you for the past few days."

Genesis shrugged. "Been busy. Are you going to leave, or must I endure more of your attempts at making smalltalk?"

Sighing, Angeal plopped skirted the edge of the table to plop down beside him. "I wanted to talk to you," he said. "It's about this bet. Genesis, this is absolutely—"

"Ridiculous?"

"Yes!" he sputtered. "A cadet shouldn't have to suffer the effects of your and Sephiroth's immaturity."

The commander snapped the book shut. "And what makes you think he's suffering?"

Pinching the bridge of his nose, Angeal took a deep breath. "Genesis, look—you and I both know you've never taken a large interest in teaching, and your patience has a tendency to wear thin rather fast," he explained. "If you can count how many unsuspecting infantrymen you've put in the infirmary without going into triple digits, it will be a miracle."

Genesis rolled his eyes. _Of course he would bring that up._ "So perhaps I've been a little... rash," he replied. "But that is still no reason to judge me based on past actions. I intend to turn over a new leaf, as it were."

"Give me one reason to believe you."

"I am actually _glad_ Sephiroth instigated this wager, because that cadet has proved to be a very fascinating individual." A smile found its way to his lips. "I'm starting to understand why you took on an apprentice."

One black eyebrow raised. "Are you?"

"Yes. Now that the boy is under my tutelage, I'm eager to watch him progress and improve as time goes on. And as he is my student, I can mold him however I see fit."

"While your new-found 'appreciation' may be honorable, that still doesn't mean you have the skills necessary to _teach _him properly," Angeal huffed as he sat back.

While he appreciated his friend's concern—well, sort of appreciated it—Genesis couldn't help taking offense at Angeal's lack of confidence in him. "Ye of little faith," he scoffed. "All of the problems I've discovered so far stem from painfully basic roots. He trips because he's still growing and lacks coordination. He's not as strong as the other infantrymen because he doesn't perform his exercises correctly. And he misses his shots simply because he's too nervous. All _I_ must do is retrain him properly and the rest will go like clockwork. I tell you, there's talent and ingenuity in that boy just _itching_ to be tapped into."

Angeal frowned, obviously not having expected such a detailed and thorough response. "And just how does he feel about being trained by the Scourge of the Regular Army?"

Shaking his head, Genesis stood up from the table. "He doesn't know who I am and I'm perfectly content to keep it that way," he replied. "The less intimidated he is by me, the better."

"I still don't like the idea of you and Sephiroth betting on this, but at least something good seems to be coming out of it," Angeal relented, rising as well.

"Genesis and Sephiroth bet on what now?"

They both turned to see Zack Fair meandering towards them, hands in his pockets and a grin on his face. Rather reminiscent of Reno, actually.

"Nothing Zack—"

"Sephiroth thought that I could not prepare a cadet for an exam in three weeks and I intend to prove him wrong," Genesis responded airily. What did it matter if Angeal's protege knew? Perhaps it would gain him a little more respect from the kid when he won.

Zack snorted, covering his mouth. "_You?_ Training a cadet? That's a laugh!"

"Is it now?" he countered. "Would you like me to demonstrate some of my teaching methods?"

"Ah, no!" Zack said quickly. "That won't be necessary. I'll stick with Angeal, if you don't mind."

With a shrug and a toss of his hair, Genesis strode towards the library exit. "Your loss." He lifted a hand in a wave. "Catch you later, Angeal."

* * *

><p>For the first time that week, Crimson was late. He arrived nearly twenty minutes after nine-thirty and Cloud had begun to wonder if he was even going to show up. Not keen on getting into any more trouble, the blond had already done his pushups, jogged two laps around the training room and was doing situps as best he could by the time Crimson walked in. The SOLDIER was carrying a book and a mesh bag with what looked like giant marbles inside it.<p>

"Do you know what Shuttle Runs are, Strife?" he asked, not bothering to acknowledge his tardiness.

Cloud furrowed his brow. "Uh, maybe?"

"I believe they're also referred to as Suicide Runs?"

"Yeah, I know what those are," he nodded, grimacing. During group Suicide Runs, he'd always been clobbered by half his classmates and he'd _always_ finished last.

Crimson set down his things by the wall. "Good, then I won't have to bother explaining myself." Reaching inside the bag, he pulled out a roll of blue painter's tape. "Do the stretches you did yesterday while I mark off the floor."

While he leaned forward in vain to touch his toes, Cloud observed the SOLDIER out of the corner of his eye. For all his orders and obscure demands, he'd never actually seen Crimson _do_ anything. Well, aside from pelt tennis balls at him that first day. Other than that, the redhead ordinarily had whatever he wanted him to do already set up and he never demonstrated anything.

Even so, it was still a little odd to find it interesting to watch the man simply bending over, sticking a line of tape on the ground and standing back up again.

"Go stand at that wall," he instructed as soon as he'd finished.

Reluctantly, Cloud got up. At least he wouldn't get trampled, he reasoned. Crimson had made eight tape lines for him, two more than regular training's usual six.

"Start running, Strife."

He sucked in a deep breath before taking off to the first tape line, swooping down to brush it with his fingertips, then running back to the wall. He sprinted to the next line and each line after that, the distance increasing by several meters. Muscles aching and throat burning, Cloud reached the final line and turned for home.

And then he tripped and fell with a _smack!_ to the floor.

"That's enough, Strife." Crimson's voice sounded rather choked and the blond looked over to see him with his hand covering his mouth, shaking his head. Was... was he _laughing_ at him?

Cloud's cheeks flushed.

Crawling to his feet, he straightened his uniform while Crimson reassimilated his poker face.

"I have something to show you," he said, motioning for Cloud to join him. The blond walked over, still embarrassed, and was handed the book. "This is from the library, so I ask that you _please_ take care of it."

The cover simply read _Materia_, and appeared to be some sort of instructional text. "What is it for?" he asked.

"You plan on joining SOLDIER, yes?"

The cadet bit the inside of his cheek and nodded.

"Then it would be in your best interest to learn as much as possible beforehand. Swords and mako are only two of the things that make a SOLDIER a SOLDIER. Materia is equally, if not _more_, important."

"What is materia, exactly?" Cloud asked, feeling a little stupid not knowing.

"Concentrated mako, in short. It enables its user powers one wouldn't normally have."

"Kinda like magic?"

Shutting his eyes, the redhead fought off another smile. "Yes, Strife. Kind of like magic." He tapped the cover of the book. "The information in this book might be a little dated due to the recent advancements in this area of technology, but that's why I'm here to fill in the blanks."

He bent down to pull out a several spheres from within the mesh bag.

"Green are all your elemental materia," he said, indicating the green materia, "as well as cures, barriers and non-elemental damage attacks as well. Yellow are Command Materia, which will aid you in extra physical attacks such as Jump, Assault Twister, Vital Slash and other variations. Blue are Support Materia, which you can link to any of your other materias for an enhanced effect. And the Red materia are Summon Materia, which are to call a creature to help you in battle."

Cloud blinked owlishly, staring at the objects in Crimson's hands.

"There is also a new function the labs have come up with called Materia Fusion, which allows you to fuse two materia together in order to create a stronger one."

Feeling rather overwhelmed by all of the information, the blond shook his head. "What's the green one for again?"

"I will demonstrate for you," Crimson assured him, setting aside the other materias. The cadet watched in amazement as took several steps back and clenched his fist, crackling flames beginning to surround it. He flung his arm out to the side and a fireball flew from his extended palm. It sailed across the room and exploded into the opposite wall with a crackling _bang!_

"How did you do that?" Cloud gaped, unable to believe what he just saw. Crimson shot _fire_ out of thin air! From his _hand!_

The redhead smirked. "Magic." He handed over the materia. "That is a low-level Fire spell. Most materia is organized into ascending levels of low, medium, and high damage. Level one fire is simply Fire, while two is referred to as Fira and three is Firaga. But it will explain all that in the book."

Astounded, the blond rolled the little ball around in his hands. "How do you know which is which?"

"_Infinite in mystery is the gift of the Goddess,"_ Crimson replied rather mysteriously. "Each materia feels different. A SOLDIER is taught to sense the differences in them."

Cloud couldn't help it; a stupid grin spread across his face. "That is _so_ awesome."

"I expect you to read as much as you can before tomorrow. For now, I will continue to show you some of these attacks. Pay close attention and learn what you can."

And Cloud did exactly that, never in his life having been more excited to have homework.

* * *

><p>That redheaded guy in the suit was watching him again.<p>

For the past three days, Yuza had caught him standing there in the exact same spot and every time he looked over, the guy was watching him. At first, he'd brushed it off, but after four days, Yuza was starting to get annoyed. And as much as he hated to admit it, it was probably starting to show.

"Yuza!" Jadak shrieked, hand flying up to cup his jaw. "What was that for?"

Folding his arms tightly across his chest, Yuza glanced away. "Sorry."

"Sorry," his younger brother deadpanned. "You almost just _broke my jaw_ and that's all you have to say?"

Yuza shrugged. "I thought you would block it." Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the redheaded guy smirk, obviously amused. Yuza ground his teeth, forcing his attention back to his brother.

Jadak laughed humorlessly. "I thought _you_ were supposed to pull back."

Right. Because nothing was ever _his_ fault. "If you'd have moved faster—" Yuza started without thinking.

"_Look_," Jadak hissed, striding closer. "If you're going to be like this, then I don't want to spar with _you_ anymore." Then he spun on his heel and walked off, leaving Yuza standing alone in the middle of the room.

Deciding to take the opportunity given to him, Yuza turned away from the other sparring cadets and marched over to the redhead against the wall. The smile on the guy's face broadened and he took his hands out of his rumpled suit coat's pockets and crossed his arms.

"Well, well," he chuckled. "Little brother getting huffy on you?"

Yuza glared, straightening his posture. "What do you want?"

"Hey, no need to be hostile, yo. We're all on the same side here, ain't we?"

"Are we?" Yuza asked, tilting his head.

The redhead laughed again, his smile turning a little less malicious and a little more genuine. "If I thought I liked you before, yo, I definitely like you now," he said.

"Which still begs the question," Yuza countered, "_what do you want?"_

"The name's Reno. And you are...?"

"...Yuza," he said, hesitant. "You're not part of SOLDIER."

Reno snapped his fingers. "And he's sharp, too."

"You don't look like a SOLDIER."

"I _could_ argue," the redhead said, raising an eyebrow, "that neither do you, to. And that's precisely why I'm here."

Narrowing his eyes, Yuza searched Reno's gaze. What was he talking about?

"See, I'm a part of another organization here at ShinRa. The Turks. Maybe you've heard of 'em?"

Oh, Yuza knew about the Turks. He knew they were closer to the higher-ups in ShinRa, knew many of the company's secrets, and that Jadak hated their guts. According to his younger brother, Turks were no match for mako-infused SOLDIERs, and if the president really wanted to stay alive, he'd surround himself with _them_ instead. "Maybe I have."

"I've been watching you—"

Yuza snorted.

"—and I have a proposition for you. What say you ditch these SOLDIER wannabes and come train for the Turks?"

Blinking in surprise, Yuza looked away. Him, become a Turk...?

"I've seen you in action, yo, and we could really use someone like you," Reno pressed.

Just as he was about to say he'd think about it, he caught sight of Jadak across the room. His younger brother had stopped what he was doing and was staring at Yuza, fists clenched at his sides. With a sigh, Yuza reluctantly looked back to Reno. "No, thank you."

"This isn't something to take lightly," the redhead warned.

"I'm not," Yuza insisted, but his words lacked conviction. "My brothers and I came here to join SOLDIER, and that's what I'm going to do."

Reno shook his head. "I don't believe you," he muttered, half to himself. "Only a handful of people ever become Turks, ya know. And you're just going to give up a golden opportunity because little brother's jealous that you're a better shot than he is?"

Shocked, the blond turned an icy glare on the Turk. "Jadak is only trying to keep the family together," he said through his teeth.

"Now I _really_ don't believe you," the redhead chuckled humorlessly. "And neither do you."

Before Yuza could respond, he pushed himself off the wall and began to head towards the door.

"My offer still stands, yo," he called over his shoulder. "Once you realize you're not a mindless puppet, come and find me."

And as much as Yuza wanted to deny being anything other than completely devoted to following Jadak wherever he led, deep down inside, he knew Reno was right.

* * *

><p><em>RegenesisX<em>


	6. Chapter 6

**MAKING THE CUT**

_"If we were to reenact it, would I be the one to play the hero, or would you?" ~ Genesis Rhapsodos_

Studying _Materia_ was like reading a fantasy novel to Cloud. It was completely phantasmagorical that little orbs of crystallized mako could allow humans to throw fire from their finger tips, summon chunks of ice to fall on their enemies, or heal injuries with a wave of their hand. He wouldn't have believed it if he hadn't witnessed Crimson perform the acts himself.

The book was just so fascinating that he couldn't bear to pull his eyes away. All the way from training to lunch, his nose was buried deep within the mystical pages and he read while he ate. During class he kept the book hidden in case another student should find it or a teacher could confiscate it, but pulled it out again in the hallways.

Halfway to his last class before the evening, a hand slapped the book out of his hands.

Gritting his teeth, Cloud bent down to retrieve it. A boot stomped down over his fingers, making the book's spine crack. The blond bit his tongue in an effort not to cry out.

"I'm sorry," came Yuza's low, unapologetic voice. "Were you reading that?"

Cloud hastily snatched his fingers away when the boot was removed and Yuza picked up the book. Zol peered curiously over his brother's shoulder, trying to get a look at the cover. Jadak, Cloud noticed, was nowhere in sight.

"_Materia_," Yuza read aloud. "Does Brother fancy himself a SOLDIER, hm?"

Zol laughed and Cloud straightened up. Not that it did him much good; both Yuza and Zol were a head taller than him. "Give it back," he demanded as sternly as he could muster.

The faintest semblance of a smirk drifted onto Yuza's face. "But it's mine now," he said. "I found it. Didn't I Zol?" Tilting his head rather than turning it, he cast a glance to his younger brother.

"Yeah," Zol nodded. "Finder's keepers!"

"It's _not_ yours," Cloud snapped, fisting his hands at his sides. "It belongs to the library, so give it back." And not only that, but Crimson would probably skin him alive if he didn't return the book, late fees aside.

Flipping the book over, Yuza ran his thumb over the sticker on the spine. "I think I want to keep it," he declared, nonchalantly ripping the sticker off. "You can pay the replacement fee. I'm _sure_ you have extra gil lying around somewhere."

Cloud caught himself wondering how many bruises it would take for them to give the book back and mentally slapped himself. What was he _doing?_ Why was he just standing there, letting them do whatever they wanted? It was his book, dangit, and they had no right to it!

...or something to that effect.

"Give back the book, Yuza, or—"

"Or what?" the taller blond sneered. _What could you _possibly_ do?_

There was a split second when Cloud was vaguely aware of this being a _really_ bad idea, but his body was in motion before he could stop himself. He rammed himself into Yuza, taking full advantage of the other cadet's surprise, and knocked him back into Zol. While the two recovered, Cloud swooped down to snatch up his book, which Yuza had dropped in his momentary shock, before wheeling around and sprinting down the hallway.

"Hey! Get back here!"

Ignoring Zol's voice in favor of ducking into the stairwell, Cloud raced up the steps. Over the sound of the blood rushing in his ears, he could hear the footsteps thundering behind him. Lungs burning and legs screaming, the cadet made it up seven flights of stairs before a hand caught the back of his shirt and threw him to the ground.

Zol loomed over him, a sinister grin spread across his face. Cloud caught sight of Yuza over Zol's shoulder and the eldest cast a condescending look down at him. "Impressive, Brother," he drawled lazily. "But not impressive enough."

Cloud's rather dull senses had been sharpened considerably over the past week, and he was immediately aware of Zol winding up his fist for a punch. He had more than enough time to try and roll away, but Cloud's body was frozen with fear. Unable to move, the blond watched the fist hone in on his face until pain exploded in his nose. It made a sickening _crunch!_when it hit.

Clutching his face, tears fell down Cloud's cheeks and blood gushed from his nose. Why? Why did this have to be _him?_ Why couldn't they pick on some other cadet?

"It was nice playing with you again, Brother," Zol guffawed, picking up the book as he stood up.

The sound of the boys' laughter faded away as they clomped down the steps. Cloud pulled the scarf from around his neck in attempt to stop his bleeding nose. For a few moments he just lay there, sobbing and gasping for breath until he finally calmed down enough to haul himself to his feet and begin to clamber up the stairs. He had no idea what floor he was on, let alone where he was. Hopefully he could find a bathroom to clean up in before he sought out someone that could direct him to the infirmary.

He reached the top of the stairs and turned the corner only to smack into someone wearing a long, red leather coat. "I-I-I—s-sorry!"

"Are you alright?"

Cloud sharply glanced up through his bangs at the familiar voice. "Cri—uh, sir," he stammered.

Crimson shook his head and motioned to his face. "What happened?"

"I, ub, fell dowd da stairs, sir."

The redhead's eyes narrowed. "You fell down the stairs."

It was clear Crimson didn't believe him, but Cloud didn't want to drag him into his personal business. "Gyes, sir," he answered quietly.

"Let me see."

Cloud winced as he removed the scarf from his nose, feeling the blood continue to run. Was he going to die of blood loss?

"It's probably broken," the redhead announced with a sigh. "Come with me; I'll get you fixed up."

Nodding, the blond trailed behind as they walked to the elevator. Once inside, Crimson leaned back against the wall and closed his eyes.

"Are you hurt anywhere else?"

The cadet shrugged, then grimaced as his shoulder protested the movement. Body-slamming Yuza hadn't been one of his brightest ideas. "My shoulder, but it isn't bad."

"You should count yourself lucky. A little thing like you could break your neck falling down a flight of stairs." Cracking open one eye, Crimson peered at him. The look quite plainly said, _Are you sure you don't want to change your story?_

"Gyes, sir," Cloud whispered, shrinking further back into the corner.

The redhead exhaled and shut his eye again. Once he was sure Crimson had nothing more to say, Cloud stared at the floor until the elevator halted and the doors slid open. He was then led down a hallway full of doors. The SOLDIER stopped at one and produced a small card from somewhere, and slid it through the reader the wall. Cloud was briskly dragged inside.

He found himself standing in what looked like someone's home. There was a couch with a heavy wooden coffee table and a fireplace, a small dining table off to the side and island that marked off a kitchen. Crimson shrugged off the unfamiliar leather coat and draped it over the back of a chair before pulling his gloves off.

Wait, was this _Crimson's_ apartment?

Cloud became acutely aware that he was in his superior officer's home and possibly in danger of dripping blood all over his carpet.

"This way," Crimson said, ushering him into a bathroom. He was handed a box of tissues. "See if you can get your nose to stop bleeding. I'll be right back."

Removing the blood-soaked scarf from his face, Cloud grabbed a handful of tissues and pressed them to his nose. He caught sight of his reflection in the mirror and cringed. His nose was practically purple and red dots decorated the front of his uniform. Both it and the scarf would need to be replaced.

Crimson returned fairly quickly with a green materia. "Cure," he explained, holding the orb up. "I want you to put down the tissues and close your eyes."

After a moment of hesitation, Cloud did as he was told. A sluggish drop of blood dripped out, landing on his shirt.

"Now try to say the alphabet backwards in your head."

It was probably the most bizarre thing Crimson could have asked him to do under the current circumstances, but the cadet was leaning to trust him regardless. _Z, Y, X, W, Q—no, um... lmnopqrstu, V, U..._

"AH!" Pain suddenly shot through his nose as Crimson put his hand on it and actually _moved_ it... Then a soothing feeling washed over him, like cool water on hot skin, and Cloud relaxed immediately, sighing in relief. It left when Crimson retracted his hand, but the pain didn't come back either. The cadet blinked open his eyes and stared at the redhead in wonder.

"I apologize for scaring you," he said, setting the materia aside and grabbing a washcloth off the rack, "but I find it's easier to take the pain if you're not anticipating it."

Cloud glanced to the mirror again only to gasp. His face was still bloody, but no more was coming out. And his poor, swollen, crooked nose was no longer. It was as if he'd never been punched in the first place.

"H-how did you do dat?" he asked. Noting his nose was still stuffy, he grabbed another tissue to blow it. He made a face at the mess it made.

Crimson handed him the washcloth. "We'll talk once you've cleaned yourself up," he said before turning to exit the bathroom.

As he wet the cloth and scrubbed at his face, he couldn't help marveling what had just transpired. Crimson, the harsh trainer who barely ever lifted a finger for him unless it was to correct his faulty position, had just cured his _broken_ nose. No one at ShinRa had ever even offered to hold the door open for him, let alone help him with an injury.

Collecting his ruined scarf, Cloud scuffled out of the bathroom to find Crimson waiting for him on the couch.

"Have a seat, Strife."

He gingerly sat down on the cushion beside the SOLDIER. "Um, th-thank you." There was something about sitting on someone else's furniture that made him want to take up as little space as humanly possible, and this couch was no exception.

"It would've done you no good to go to the infirmary and end up with a bandage over your nose for the next few weeks," Crimson said. "And if you're still clumsy enough to trip down the _stairs_, you obviously need all the work you can get."

Cloud bit his lip and nodded. "Yes, sir."

Several moments of silence elapsed between them while the redhead stared at him with such intense scrutiny, he very nearly burst out crying again from the sheer pressure. Eventually, Crimson exhaled sharply and looked away. An enormous weight lifted itself off Cloud's shoulders.

"Do you see me as an enemy, Strife?" he asked.

The cadet blinked. "Do I...? N-no, I don't think so, sir."

"Then I want you to be honest with me," Crimson said slowly, "and think very carefully about your answer. Did you _really_ break your nose falling down stairs?"

_He already knows_, Cloud realized with a jolt, and this was his last chance to fess up and tell the truth. Taking a deep breath and swallowing hard, he made his decision and braced himself for the consequences. "...No, sir."

Azure eyes fluttered closed as the SOLDIER let out a soft sigh. "If you plan on lying to me in the future, the least you could do is come up with a more believable story."

"Yes, sir," he said in a tiny voice.

"But that's not what really bothers me," Crimson continued, rising. He began to pace back and forth in front of the couch. "What bothers me is the fact that you just _laid_ there and let that guy smash your nose."

Cloud shrunk down a little, twisting his hands in his lap. "I'm sorry, sir-"

"_Don't_," the SOLDIER practically growled, "apologize to me. I don't give a damn whether you're sorry or not." Crimson stopped, jabbing a finger at him. "You tell me _why_."

"I-I don't know, sir," he squeaked. "I saw it coming a-and I j-just couldn't move..." He cringed, waiting for the inevitable cutting remark, but it never came.

"I get it."

The cadet glanced up at Crimson with impossibly wide eyes. "You... you get it?"

Folding his arms across his chest, the redhead halted his furious pacing with his back facing Cloud. "I can yell at you all I want, but I know it isn't going to change anything. There isn't any way to go back and fix our past mistakes. All we can do is move forward."

Even though the remark applied very directly to Cloud's situation, he couldn't help the nagging feeling that Crimson was speaking to himself as well. "You've... made mistakes in the past?" he tentatively asked.

Much to the blond's relief, Crimson laughed dryly. "Hasn't everyone?" he replied. "Even the great Sephiroth isn't infallible."

"Sometimes I think it's easier to pretend people like him _are_ infallible. Nobody wants to hear a story where the hero dies," Cloud said.

"_Legend shall speak of sacrifice at world's end,"_ Crimson recited. "_The wind sails over the water's surface, quietly, but surely._ You're right about that, Strife."

The cadet desperately wanted to ask what he was quoting. It sounded like poetry, but he didn't think now was really the time for that. "Sir? May I ask you a question?"

Crimson turned, moving to sit back down on the couch. "I believe you've earned the right to."

"Why do you hate General Sephiroth so much?"

Shock registered on the redhead's face. Shaking his head, he quickly regained his composure. "What makes you think I hate him?" he asked.

"Well," Cloud shrugged, "I mean, you don't seem to have a very high opinion of him..."

Smirking wryly, Crimson shook his head and looked away. "No, I suppose I don't." He then ran a hand through his hair—the most agitated gesture Cloud had ever seen him make. "If you want the honest truth, I don't hate Sephiroth at all. But people who treat him like a god as opposed to the human being he is tend to annoy the absolute shit out of me."

Cloud shifted, awkwardly rubbing one shoulder. "Um... yeah, I, uh, guess that would get kind of annoying."

"Now it's my turn to ask you a question," Crimson said, leaning back and crossing one leg over the other. "What do you think makes a hero, Strife?"

It was a hard question to answer. When he was back in Nibelheim, he might've said the one who saved the most people was the hero. When he came to ShinRa, he might've said the one who defeated the enemy was the hero. But now he was starting to wonder if either of those two things had anything to do with being a hero at all.

"I'm... not really sure," he admitted. "I think it's more complicated than I originally thought, sir."

Crimson hummed, but didn't say anything else on the subject. "I do believe you should be heading back to barracks, Cadet."

"My class!" Cloud gasped, jumping to his feet. "I completely forgot—"

"Skip it," the redhead said with a wave of his hand. "I'll let your instructor know."

"I-Oh! Oh, Goddess, Zol! He-he took the book you lent me and I-"

"Don't worry about it."

"But you—"

"Don't worry about it," Crimson repeated, standing up as well.

"Th-thank you, sir," Cloud said shyly. "And um, thanks for... y'know, my nose."

Arching one elegant eyebrow, the SOLDIER crossed his arms over his chest. "I hope you realize I only Cured you out of the kindness of my heart," he snapped. "Next time _you_ let something of yours get broken, you're just going to have to suffer with it. So it had better not happen again."

"Yes, sir."

_Stay safe, Strife._

* * *

><p><em>RegenesisX<em>


	7. Chapter 7

**MAKING THE CUT**

_"Honor can be quite a burden, at times." ~ Angeal Hewley_

**DAY 6**

"Today will be your test day," Crimson announced when Cloud walked in the training room. The cadet froze. _Test?_ He thought that wasn't for three weeks still. "Next week you will be tested again to see if you've improved any."

"What am I going to be tested on, sir?"

"Pushups, situps, jumps, laps and sprints," the redhead answered shortly. "I suggest you stretch first to make sure you don't pull any of those muscles you've been working to build."

Cloud glanced at his arms. They still looked the same to him. "Yes, sir," he nodded as he flopped down and began to stretch his legs.

"I'm not going be available tomorrow for training, so you'll have to join your combat class for the day."

The cadet grimaced. After yesterday, that was the last thing he wanted to do. But, he supposed, being a First, Crimson would inevitably be called away by more important duties. "If I may ask, sir," he said as he leaned to touch his toes. He could almost reach them now, he noticed. "Is this training cutting into your own affairs?"

Crimson snorted. "You mean am I wasting my time with a miserable excuse for a cadet when I should be doing other things?" he sneered.

A blush crept up to Cloud's cheeks. "If you want to put it that way, sir..."

"Well I'm not." The First moved closer and loomed over him. "I'm spending my _well-earned_ time cultivating the raw talent in what I believe could become a promising student.

Had he heard Crimson correctly? "R-Really?"

"Yes. And if you're done asking stupid questions, you should start doing pushups."

Still processing his answer, Cloud absently turned over and began his pushups. Crimson had just, however indirectly, called him a promising student! Was he really? Or was the redhead lying to be nice? Then again, why would he? After all, _no one_ in their right mind would waste their spare time working with a complete and utter failure. Perhaps there was hope for him after all.

He was suddenly knocked to the floor by a foot between his shoulder blades. "You make a fantastic worm, wiggling all over the place like that," Crimson hissed, "but that is _not_ what I am training you for. Do it _right_ or I'll tie both your arms behind your back and make you do them."

Cloud furrowed his brow. How was he supposed to—? He quickly straightened himself and put all his concentration into his posture. No more insults came. He managed to surprise himself by getting all the way up to thirty pushups before his arms threatened to give out on him.

"C-Can I stop now?"

"I don't know. Are you done?"

Gritting his teeth, the blond rolled over to a sitting position. Crimson was back to being frustrating and unhelpful, he saw. "Yeah, I'm done," he nodded.

"Very well. I expect you to do thirty pushups instead of twenty from now on."

The redhead remained quiet during Cloud's twenty-seven sit ups, four laps around the training room and his nineteen-second sprint. While he was jogging, he realized that for the first time since his arrival to ShinRa, he didn't feel lost. He wasn't getting buried underneath a swarm of other, better cadets, all vying for their instructor's attention. It was just him and Crimson, and Crimson would most definitely let him know if he was doing something wrong. It was... reassuring, in a way.

When he was finished, the redhead handed him a metal bat. Cloud blinked up at him owlishly.

"Ever played baseball, Strife?"

"Er, no."

Rolling his eyes, Crimson flipped the bat around in the blond's hands. "Of _course_ not," he muttered.

"Well, I've _seen_ it played before."

"So happy I could die, Strife."

The First grabbed the upper part of the bat and tugged on it. Cloud immediately let go, thinking he wanted it back.

"No!" Crimson looked close to slapping him. "Keep a hold of it and _don't_ let me pull it out of your hands. You need a strong grip, bird brains."

Flushing at the insult, Cloud tightened his hands back around the base of the bat and allowed the redhead to tug at it until he was satisfied he wasn't letting go.

"I'm going to stand over there," Crimson pointed to the far end of the training room, "and throw tennis balls at you."

"Where am I supposed to go when I hit it?"

The SOLDIER blinked. "Nowhere. You just stay where you are."

"W-wait," the blond stammered, confused. "What if I get a foul? Or I miss? Can I strike out? And what about a catcher? Are you going to throw curve balls? I'm not even wearing my lucky underwear!"

Cloud took the hint to shut up when Crimson gave him a withering look. "Stand here, hit what I throw at you," he snapped, poking the cadet's chest. "You. Don't. Go. Anywhere. Capisce?"

Biting his bottom lip, he nodded hastily.

"Good. Because otherwise I'll make sure you'll never be able to get your underwear _off_ again."

And so, under the threat of permanently sporting his moogle-print undies, Cloud remained where he was as Crimson stalked off. Plucking a tennis ball out of the infamous white bucket, the redhead chucked it at him without fanfare. The cadet's attention zeroed in on the object flying towards him. He panicked, squeezing his eyes shut, and swung the bat with all his might.

"Did I hit it?" he squeaked, opening an eye.

"What do _you_ think?"

The next half-hour saw Crimson throwing tennis ball after tennis ball, only to have Cloud miss every single one of them. Only two actually hit; the first clipped the very tip of the bat and the second was the one that nailed him right in the forehead, but Cloud suspected Crimson had done that on purpose. Either way, the only thing that seemed to have been accomplished was discovering the fact that he was terrible at baseball.

Fed up, Cloud slammed the bat to the ground. "I'm sick of this!" he yelled. "I'm tired and this is completely pointless! I want to get into _SOLDIER_ not a baseball league!"

Crimson silently walked back over to him and picked up the bat. "And just how do you plan on getting into SOLDIER, I wonder?" he said, almost to himself, as he went to retrieve one of the tennis balls. "You know we use swords, right?"

The blond nodded hesitantly.

"Believe it or not, it takes much more talent to wield a sword correctly and effectively than it does a gun." Crimson tossed the ball up in the air and caught it. "It's combination of power, speed and agility, as well as connecting your mind with your body."

Cloud watched as the redhead tossed the ball up into the air and swung the bat as it came down. The tennis ball zipped through the air faster than his eye could track before embedding itself deep within the wall. A loud _BANG!_ resounded around the room.

The breath caught in his throat. Had Crimson really managed to apply enough force to get a _tennis ball_ to dent metal and _stay_ there? Because as far as he was aware, tennis balls bounced off of _everything._

"I'll tell you a secret, Strife," the redhead said, handing Cloud the bat. "I've never played baseball in my life."

"Then how...?"

"I spend an absurd amount of time swinging at things," he shrugged. "A sword becomes an extension of oneself and it is of the utmost importance to be able to control exactly where it's going. If you can't tell where the tip of your blade is without looking, you're going to find it difficult to hit anything. Baseball requires the batter to hit a small object at various speeds and heights, thus is an ideal preparation."

Pieces began to click into Cloud's mind. "This is practice for sword fighting?" he asked. Who would have thought?

"And Cadet Strife slides home!" Crimson exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air. "The crowd goes wild!"

His cheeks burned once again and he lowered his eyes to the floor in embarrassment.

"Now, _please_ listen carefully because I am _not_ repeating myself."

Suddenly, Crimson was behind him, forcing his shoulders back and pushing his elbows down by his sides.

"Stand up straight," he ordered. "You have this nasty habit of curling in on yourself and not only does it give enemies the impression that you'll simply roll over for them, it also takes away some of your height. And you _desperately_ need that."

Cloud wanted to yell that it wasn't his fault he was short, but chose to remain silent and stood as tall as he could.

The redhead nudged at one of his boots. "Widen your feet a little. It'll help you keep your balance better." Crimson moved around to face him again. "And for Shiva's sake, _relax_," he said. "Whenever you try to move, you have to unclench your muscles, move your arms, only to tense up again. Do you know how much time you're wasting doing that? Loosen up a bit and you'll be shocked at how much faster you are."

Taking a deep breath, the blond shut his eyes and forced himself to relax. He imagined himself in a field full of flowers on a warm sunny day, where the birds were chirping and nothing was going to jump out and eat him. When he opened his eyes again, he felt calm.

"Alright," the redhead murmured, backing away a few steps and extending one arm out to the side. "Without looking at your bat, I want you to touch my hand."

Cloud concentrated, trying to estimate where the other end of the bat was. It swished underneath Crimson's hand by several inches. Gritting his teeth, he moved the bat up a little and tapped the SOLDIER's palm. Crimson raised his hand.

"Now pull it back as if you were going to take another swing and touch it again."

* * *

><p>Angeal sat back in his chair and crossed his arms. Down below, on the other side of the one-way glass, Genesis was adjusting the blond cadet's faulty position with the baseball bat, mouth moving as he talked. He watched incredulously as Genesis stood opposite Cloud and stuck one arm out to the side. Slowly, the cadet moved the bat, only to have it swing under Genesis' hand. He corrected the miss, and the redhead lifted his hand a half-foot. The blond repeated the move, this time hitting too far above the hand.<p>

Even after their conversation in the library yesterday, the First couldn't help remaining uneasy with Genesis' enthusiasm about training Cloud. The commander seemed only to enjoy doing one thing to cadets: making their lives miserable. Not only that, but he'd never had much patience to be around other people and tended to lose his temper rather easily. Consoling himself with the fact that he could be potentially saving Clouds life, Angeal snuck into the observation room to monitor them.

Never had Angeal been at a loss of what to think as he was right then. The first part of the training session seemed to go relatively well; the cadet did his physical exercises while Genesis looked on, but then the redhead brought out a bat and they proceeded to play _baseball_ of all things. Cloud was bad at it too; consistently missing for the next thirty minutes or so until he got too frustrated. Which let to the bizarre activity they were doing now.

They continued on like that for a while, with Cloud having little to no success. Finally Genesis lowered his hand and gave the cadet's shoulder a squeeze as he passed, saying something over his shoulder while he walked towards the door. The blond looked after him for a moment, then began to collect the stray tennis balls.

Angeal would have been lying if he said he hadn't been secretly wishing Genesis would take an interest in teaching. He had skills that no one else did, and it would give him a chance to learn how to associate with other people better. But taking on a student as part of a bet with _Sephiroth_ of all people was not how he'd envisioned it occurring.

Letting out a heavy sigh, Angeal stood up from his chair and turned to leave.

Only to freeze when the observation door opened.

"Angeal."

His jaw flapped a few times while Genesis' expression changed from surprised to confused to very, very angry. "Genesis, I'm—"

"You're what?" the redhead snapped, throwing an arm in the air. "You're sorry I caught you _spying_ on me?"

"I wasn't spying on you," Angeal protested weakly.

It didn't take much to see through the obvious lie. "Like _hell_ you weren't," Genesis growled as he stormed across the room.

"Nobody ever said I wasn't allowed to come and watch," Angeal argued. "It wasn't—" _part of the bet._ As if he wanted to be reminded of the bet in the first place.

The redhead went eerily still, hand on the door of the supply closet. "That's the logic you're using, is it?" he said quietly. "Just a casual visit to check up on your old friend's progress?"

Setting his jaw, the brunet took several bold steps forward. "Yes."

"That's a _lie_, Angeal," Genesis hissed, glaring over his shoulder, "and you know it." He turned away from the closet and jabbed a finger at Angeal. "_You_ don't trust me. You think you're doing this for Strife's safety, don't you?"

"Genesis—"

"Well let me tell you something, _old friend. _If you think I'm doing this just so I can torture the shit out of some unsuspecting infantryman, you're dead wrong. Strife is going to pass that test, and he's going to do it in once piece."

"That doesn't mean you know what you're doing," Angeal blurted. "_Baseball, _Genesis? What kind of test to you think you're preparing him for?"

Folding his arms across his chest, the redhead narrowed his eyes. "I know exactly what I'm doing."

"And what might that be?"

"I'm not telling you."

"But—"

"_Forget it_," Genesis snapped. Then, much to the Angel's surprise, an immense amount of hurt crept into his expression. "I trusted you. And I thought you trusted me. But I guess you're just like everyone else." He looked away, auburn hair falling into his face. "How long have we been friends, Angeal?"

It was then that he realized why exactly Genesis was so angry. It wasn't that he'd broken some sort of unspoken rule of the bet, it was simply that he'd made a heinous misjudgment of his friend's character. "Genesis, I—" He attempted to apologize, but was cut off.

"Out."

Angeal blinked in surprise. "What?"

"Out," Genesis repeated coldly.

Opening his mouth, the brunet tried to say something, anything, to rectify the situation. But nothing came out.

"That's an order, Hewley."

* * *

><p><em>RegenesisX<em>


	8. Chapter 8

**MAKING THE CUT**

_"The weak lose their freedom to the strong. Such is the way of the strong. And it is the providence of nature that the strong survive. That is why I needed strength." ~ Kuja_

**DAY 7**

Cloud limped his way to the Mess Hall after combat training. Gaia, but his leg hurt.

Things had started out relatively smoothly. He'd managed to sneak in two minutes late as to avoid getting pummeled in the locker rooms and the first thing their instructor had them do was laps, pushups and situps. All he had to do was close his eyes and he could pretend he was alone with Crimson again. One cadet even complimented him on his pushup form, which elated him to no end.

Everything went downhill after that though. The targets were set up and guns were distributed, and Cloud noticed Jadak and his brothers watching him. He tried to make himself as small and inconspicuous as possible, but it was obvious from the way Zol was urgently whispering in Jadak's ear that they were trying to figure out how Cloud was sporting _no_ injury from the day before yesterday. His nose had clearly been broken, yet there seemed to be no damage. They knew nothing about Crimson.

Completely unable to concentrate, Cloud seldom hit his mark. His arms shook, making his fingers clumsy with the trigger and his aim unsteady. Gritting his teeth, he narrowly stopped himself from throwing his gun down and storming out of the room in frustration. Perhaps he really _couldn't_ do this.

_"You can. You're leaning too far to the right and it's throwing off your perspective. Look _straight _down the barrel."_

Unbidden, Crimson's words floated into his head from they day they'd spent working on target practice. Cloud pulled the gun back up and stared along the barrel of the gun. He shifted a little, centering the metal pipe.

_"You're too tense."_

He exhaled sharply, loosening his death-grip on the gun. This was only practice. The slower he moved, the more accurate he would be. He could worry about speed later. Aiming just a little bit above the center of the target, Cloud squeezed the trigger.

The gun recoiled into his shoulder from the force of the explosion that drove the bullet out. It sliced through the air, seeming to move in slow motion. Cloud's breath hitched in his throat as it drove into the soft red and white striped target.

Perfect shot.

Cloud couldn't believe it.

And from the look on his face, neither could Jadak.

He immediately moved to go converse with Zol. Yuza remained at his station, seeming to be pointedly ignoring the other two, and fussed with his gun. He caught Cloud's eye and tilted his head towards the target, quite obviously asking how a bullet from Cloud's gun had managed to end up in the center of the target. Shaking on the inside, Cloud shrugged. Yuza arched an eyebrow in return, but as he turned away, Cloud could've _sworn_ he saw a faint smile cross the taller boy's lips.

When Jadak caught him after class and grilled him about what had happened with his nose, Cloud noticed only Zol was with him and couldn't help but wonder what happened to Yuza. Either way, he was unable to come up with any sort of explanation that wouldn't get him accused of receiving 'special treatment' from a SOLDIER and was subsequently given a black eye and a rather large bruise on his thigh for his trouble.

It made walking to get lunch less than pleasant.

He was immediately pulled aside by Zack the moment he entered the Mess Hall. Cloud tried to avoid the Second's concerned expression, staring down at the ground.

"Hey, what happened?" Zack asked. "Did those guys get you again?"

Cloud hesitated, then decided he had nothing to lose and nodded.

"Tch. What was it this time?"

"I..." Cloud floundered to come up with something. "I've, uh, been getting better with my shooting. A-and I guess they don't like that."

Which wasn't a total lie. Jadak had sneered at him about that before _'casually'_ inquiring about his nose. When he couldn't come up with an answer, the boy just decided to give him more injuries.

Zack rested his hands on the cadet's shoulders. "Look Spiky. You're bigger than them."

Cloud raised his eyebrows.

"Okay, not _literally_, but you're the better person in this situation. You've done nothing wrong, they're just being jerks," Zack elaborated. "Don't let them get to you."

_"But that's not what really bothers me. What bothers me is the fact that you just laid there and let that guy smash your nose."_

Gritting his teeth, Cloud squeezed his eyes shut. He may have been the 'better person,' but he was still allowing himself to be beaten up on a regular basis because of it. He wanted to _do_ something about it. He _could've _done something about it.

"Seriously," Zack continued, "come and find me if they're giving you a hard time."

Cloud sighed and shrugged. "Thanks, Zack..."

"Hey, what's wrong?"

"I just wish..."

_"You'll never be like him, Strife. Of that, you can be sure."_

"...that I could fend for myself, you know?"

The Second blinked, and then laughed, quickly covering his mouth. "You might wanna grow a few more inches before you try that, kiddo," he grinned, ruffling Cloud's hair.

_"I get angry because my enemies are only as strong as I let them be. Because _strength _doesn't have anything to do with it, it's _how _the game is played. And I _will not _allow myself to lose."_

Last week, he would have found Zack's offer of protection and attempts at cheering him up endearing and encouraging. But the more he thought, the more Cloud realized how dependent on Zack that would make him. He couldn't hide in the Second's shadow forever. Someday, he would show Jadak and Zol and Yuza who was boss.

Or something like that.

"Do you want to visit the infirmary for your eye?" Zack asked. "Or I could go fetch a Cure-"

"That won't be necessary," Cloud interjected. "It'll go away on its own. I'll be fine. It doesn't hurt that badly." Not only that, but he would get beaten up if Jadak found that his injuries magically vanished on their own _again._

The Second hesitated. "Are you sure? It looks painful."

Sucking in a deep breath, Cloud looked up at Zack and met his eyes. "I don't know what pain is."

"O-okay then," Zack nodded slowly. "Perhaps I should call Genesis then. He _loves_ teaching cadets the meaning of pain."

The two made their way over to a nearby table and sat down. "Do you know Genesis well, Zack?" Cloud asked after a moment. From what he'd heard about the First, it wasn't likely that Crimson had any relation to Genesis, but there wasn't any harm in checking it out. He was honestly getting curious about his mysterious mentor's true identity.

"Not _well_," the Second replied. "The only reason I do know him is because he's friends with Angeal. Of course, I've got no idea why. The two are, like, polar opposites."

"Are they that different?"

"Heck, yeah. While Angeal is all about honor and dreams, Genesis has no scruples and never plays fair. I've never disliked anyone, but..." Zack sighed and scratched his head. "I really don't care for the guy."

It occurred to Cloud in that moment that he wouldn't like it if people were discussing his flaws behind his back. "Maybe he's not as bad as you think?" he suggested. "Perhaps you haven't spent enough time around him."

"Believe me, Cloud. There's no 'other' side to him. He's just a conceited jerk. Kind of like Jadak," the Second said. "And he's got this... _thing_ against Sephiroth."

At first, the cadet was just going to nod and move to change the topic of discussion, but the comment caught him off-guard. "What do you mean?"

Zack made a face. "He's jealous, I guess. He thinks _he_ should be ShinRa's hero."

_"But people who treat him like a god instead of the human being he is tend to annoy the absolute shit out of me."_

That hit much too close to home.

Then again, in such a large organization, there were bound to be plenty of rivalries.

Weren't there?

* * *

><p>Cloud bit his lip, praying to the goddess that he'd found the right door and knocked. Absolutely terrified, he debated whether to wait and see if anyone would answer or book it back down the hallway. The decision was made for him when the door suddenly swung open. The cadet stood there like a deer in the headlights as Crimson looked him up and down.<p>

"You look like shit," the redhead finally announced, crossing his arms and leaning on the doorframe. "I hope you don't expect me to do something about it."

"Um, n-no sir," Cloud stammered. "I-I was, uh, I was—Are you...? Can I t-talk to you?"

Rolling his eyes, Crimson sighed dramatically. "Good Gaia, Strife. The worst I can do is say 'no'," he said. "But since you asked _so_ nicely, it would be cruel of me to turn you away."

"Um, th-thank you, sir."

"Whatever."

Crimson turned and retreated back into the apartment. Cloud hesitantly followed, noting the First's usually graceful way of moving had turned a little sloppy. The redhead flopped himself down on the couch and swiped a bottle from off the coffee table, taking a long swig from it.

"Sit down," he said, tilting his head to the space next to him. "And do forgive me if I'm a little... blunt. I tend to get that way when I'm not quite sober."

"Oh," Cloud said softly, cautiously seating himself. Meaning to say Crimson wasn't _already_ as blunt as they came? "Okay."

Exhaling noisily, Crimson propped his feet up on the table. "It's just been one of those days, you know?" he huffed. "You wake up late and run off to a meeting only to find they've already started without you, a huge pile of paperwork gets slapped on your desk for your troubles, you get outsmarted by a simulation monster because by then sitting has dulled your reflexes and you just _have _to run into those select few people whose sole reason for existing is to piss you off."

"I have those days a lot," Cloud said, grimacing.

"I'm sure," he snorted. "You said you wanted to talk to me?"

The cadet fiddled with his gloves. "Um, yes." He wiggled in place, not really sure how to word what he wanted to say. "I, uh... I have this friend," he started. "He's a great friend and everything, and he told me to go to him whenever I have problems, but..." Cloud faltered slightly when he glanced up to find Crimson staring at him intently. "B-but I'm not sure it's really helping anything."

"Sooo... you're coming to me instead?"

Blushing, he nodded.

A brief smirk flashed across Crimson's lips. "I'm flattered," he chuckled. "I assume your problems have something to do with that lovely black thing you've got going on around your eye?"

Cloud ghosted his fingers over the sore flesh. "Jadak's gang caught me after combat class," he mumbled. "They didn't like that my nose isn't broken, so they beat me up... again."

"Mm. I see." The redhead stared down at the bottle in his hands and rolled it between his fingers. "What does your friend have to say?"

"Well, he keeps telling me he could go scare them off for me, but I just... don't know."

Crimson took another sip of his drink and sighed. "Bullies are like monsters," he said after a moment of silence. "They'll keep picking until something larger comes along, but they'll flock right back the moment your protection is gone."

"And that's exactly what happens! It's not like Jadak is going to pick on me with a bunch of superiors around. And every time I mention handling them on my own, he just laughs at me..."

"With the war wounds you've been walking around with, I'm not surprised."

"I want to learn, though," Cloud blurted. He knew Zack meant well, but enough was enough. "I'm sick of getting pushed around."

The redhead set his drink down and quickly stood up, lurching unsteadily. "Whoa, _goddess_," he hissed, grabbing the back of the couch for balance. "Get up."

Cloud shot to his feet and allowed himself to be herded to the middle of the room.

"_You," _Crimson began, jabbing a finger in his face, "are short. What are you, five-five?"

Another blush crept into the cadet's cheeks. "Almost five-seven, sir."

The redhead rolled his eyes. "What a pleasant surprise," he muttered. "I, however, am nearly a foot taller than you. That gives me a severe height advantage, doesn't it?"

"Y-yes, sir."

"Wrong!" Cloud flinched at Crimson's harsh tone. "The only advantage I have over you is the fact that I'm pumped full of mako. _You_ can actually learn to use your small size to your advantage."

"I can?" As far as he knew, being short was useless.

The First rested a heavy hand on Cloud's shoulder. "Say some big, bulky guy is coming at you," he said. "Who's going to be faster? More flexible? Agile?"

"Um..."

"_You_ are, you dope," the redhead snapped. "Let those other idiots worry over building muscles up to their eyeballs. You worry about speed and tactics."

Cloud nodded hesitantly. He'd managed to take Yuza by surprise the other day, and if he'd just been a little bit faster, he would have been able to escape from them. For once he'd been on the right track.

"So if I were to attack you right now, what would you do?"

"Uh, scream?" he replied, then realized how stupid that sounded.

The SOLDIER looked somewhere between laughing and smacking his forehead. "If you did that, I would rip out your vocal chords and gag you with them," he said though his teeth. "If I were planning to grab you, what could you _possibly_ do?"

Before he could come up with another response, Crimson lunged for him. Cloud shrieked and instinctively darted to the side. He turned back around just in time to see the redhead crash to the floor in a heap. The cadet's heart practically stopped for a few seconds. They both stared at each other with wide eyes until the First burst out laughing.

"V-very g-good, Strife," Crimson sputtered between cackles, clutching his stomach.

The blond couldn't figure out how to react. Crimson had just completely wiped out _and_ he was laughing. Should he laugh too? The redhead's laughter was rather contagious, and Cloud found himself stifling a few snickers. But what if Crimson got mad at him for finding his mistake funny?

"Are... are you alright, sir?" he finally asked.

"_Sh-shiva, _I ca-can't stop laughing!" The hysterical redhead tried to sit up, but his arms promptly gave out on him and he slumped back to his floor, continuing to giggle like a madman. "Goddess, I'm dying!"

Just then, Crimson's PHS started ringing, saving Cloud from having to come up with something logical to say.

"Would you get that for me?" the redhead grinned, throwing an arm in the general direction of the kitchen. "It's on the counter."

The cadet nodded and trotted to the island, scanning the black granite for the sign of a phone. The flashing light finally caught his eye. It blended in well with the counter, being black as well. He grabbed it, gave the three can openers sitting by it an odd look—_who needed that many can openers?—_and hurried back to Crimson.

Then he proceeded to stand there awkwardly while the SOLDIER answered it.

"Hell-oo?" he sing-songed giddily. Whoever it was responded and his happy expression quickly soured. "Do you, now?" he sneered, crossing his free arm over his chest. "Well I'm not _interested_ in anything you might have to say. … _Sorry_ isn't going to cut it. I knew _he_ was going to be chomping at the bit to see me fail, but I didn't realize you felt the same way. … Forget it. I don't want to talk about this anymore. … _No,_ you can't come over. I have perfectly pleasant company already." He shot a glance towards Cloud. "NO! Well, I am, but I meant a person. Which is more than I can say for you. The only person who would want to spend any length of time around you is that hyperactive idiot who's convinced you're the sun, moon and stars combined. … _Goodbye."_

And then he hung up.

Cloud spoke up. "Is... is everything alright?"

Sighing, Crimson ran a hand over his face and fisted it in his hair. "Do you ever... feel completely misunderstood by everyone else?" he inquired. "Even your friends?"

"Yeah," the cadet nodded, sitting down beside the SOLDIER. "Except I don't _have_ any friends."

Copper eyebrows came together. "I thought you said you did?"

"Okay, so I have _one_ friend."

"One is better than none at all, believe me." The redhead bit his bottom lip, looking apprehensive. "I feel so good right now I'm bound to say anything, but would you like to be friends?"

The cadet blinked in surprise. Be _friends_ with Crimson? Cloud hardly knew him. In fact, he didn't even know Crimson's real name! And on top of it all, he was a First Class SOLDIER. What _cadet_ in the history of _ever _became friends with one?

"I... um... I don't know, sir..."

"I _do_... like you, Strife," Crimson admitted, reaching out to take his hand. "And I don't like very many people. I'll loosen up if you will."

"But you won't even tell me your name," Cloud pointed out.

The redhead looked torn. "Well, you obviously call me _something_, right? In your head?"

"Yeah..."

"Then that will be my name."

Yet again, the blond's cheeks burned. "But it's embarrassing... and stupid."

"No more embarrassing than me being half-drunk and falling on my ass in front of my impressionable student."

"_Crimson,"_ he mumbled as quietly as he could.

"I can't hear you, Strife."

"Crimson!" Cloud spat. "I've been calling you Crimson for the past week."

As he expected, the redhead started laughing again. "That is an absolutely _fantastic_ name," he chuckled, much to Cloud's surprise. _Fantastic?_ "Crimson it is, then."

He was really serious, then?

Ever so slowly, a smile worked its way onto Cloud's face. Crimson smiled back and squeezed his hand.

"Now, help me up and perhaps I can stay on my feet this time."

* * *

><p><em>RegenesisX<em>


	9. Chapter 9

**MAKING THE CUT**

_"Whether your words are lies created to deceive me, or the truth that I have sought all my life... it makes no difference. You will rot." ~ Sephiroth_

**DAY 8**

Genesis yawned, stretching his arms above his head as he sat up. His throat was parched and he was beyond exhausted. Why was he so tired just after waking up? Rubbing his eyes, he tried to recall the previous nights activities, but his mind came up blank. Which probably meant he'd gotten drunk, which answered his question anyway. Kicking off the covers, he stumbled out of bed and threw his robe on, fully intending to lounge around until it became absolutely necessary for him to leave.

Upon entering the living room, however, he froze.

There was _someone_ on his couch.

And not just any someone. Genesis scowled as he eyed the blond-haired cadet with distaste. What on Gaia was _Strife_ doing here? Slinking over to the end of the couch, the redhead loomed over the sleeping teen. He was about to wake him when he noticed a large, black bruise over Strife's visible eye.

_When did that happen?_ the redhead couldn't help wondering. It was one thing to see the cadet barely able to move from his own rigorous training; that was simply unavoidable. But to see Cloud battered and broken out of pure malice was something else entirely, and it caused an odd, sick feeling to stir in Genesis' stomach. Shaking it off, he leaned down to the boy's ear.

"STRIFE!"

Blue eyes snapped open comically wide as the blond suddenly jolted awake with a scream. He flailed beneath the blanket, accidentally pitching himself clear off the couch. Landing in a heap on the floor, Strife scrambled to his knees and saluted. "U-uh, good morning Crimson—Ah, sir!"

_Crimson?_ Genesis blinked. "Good morning, Strife," he greeted, smiling sweetly. "Did you sleep well?"

The cadet stared for a few moments, obviously uneasy at the redhead's overly-friendly demeanor. "Um, y-yes, sir."

"That's good," Genesis nodded, moving around to the front of the couch. "Tell me, Strife, does anything feel... oh, I don't know, out of place right now?"

"Well, um, now it does."

"Mm. And do you have any idea what that _something_ might be?"

"N-no, sir."

The commander smirked, gazing down at the trembling blond. "I'll give you a hint by asking you a very simple question," he said, then wiped all traces of amusement from his expression. _"What the hell are you doing in my apartment?"_

"I'm sorry, sir!" Strife wailed, burying his face in his hands. "I wanted to go back to barracks but you insisted that I stay here! Please don't kill me!"

He _insisted_, did he? Sighing, Genesis ran a hand through his hair and crouched down beside the boy, who was now sobbing and babbling nonsense. "Strife, calm down. I'm not going to kill you," he said. "Just tell me what happened since I can't _remember_ any of it."

"W-Well, I c-came here b-because I wanted to talk to you about s-something," the cadet sniffled, "a-and I ended up s-staying a lot longer than I thought I would..."

Flashes of memory started up in Genesis' head. He recalled meeting the distraught boy at the door, him wanting some advice about a friend... then nothing. "What happened to your eye?" He reached out a hand to examine it, but Strife flinched away.

"Some kids got me after combat class," the blond mumbled, angling the bruised half of his face away.

The redhead's temper flared. "The same ones from before?"

"Yeah... they, uh, didn't like that my nose wasn't broken anymore..."

"What'd you tell them?" Genesis asked, wondering if Strife had said he'd been Cured by a SOLDIER.

Shrugging, the cadet shook his head. "I didn't know what to tell them, so I just didn't say anything," he replied. "Then Zol kneed me in the leg and punched me in the eye."

The feeling returned to the pit of the commander's stomach, along with a bristling sensation tingling up his spine. Strife did not deserve to be beaten up like this on a regular basis. It made Genesis want to go punch _them_ in the eyes and break _their_ noses. The blond was _his_ student, and he'd be damned if he let someone else destroy what little self-esteem he'd managed to cultivate in the cadet.

Surprised by his own possessiveness, Genesis pushed the thought away. "How _was_ training yesterday?" he asked, changing the subject.

"It went... well." Strife's eyes brightened, a sure sign he wasn't lying. "I actually felt like I could kind of keep up. And my shooting is getting better thanks to you, sir."

Pride rose in the redhead's chest. Well of _course _he was getting better. "I _told_ you we weren't wasting our time," he snorted. "But I do have to ask... what's this 'Crimson' business you called me?"

Strife's cheeks turned pink and he bit his bottom lip. "Uh... um, well..."

On cue, Genesis' impatience kicked in. "Well, _what?"_

"You, uh, t-told me to call you that, s-sir," the cadet stammered, not meeting his eyes.

"And _I_ came up with this, did I?"

"N-no, sir. I-I did..." Strife shrunk even lower than he already was. "It's wh-what I've been calling you for the past week, sir..."

The commander arched an eyebrow. Crimson, eh? Well, it could've been worse. Considering what most cadets, SOLDIERs and other various ShinRa employees called him, it could've been a _lot_ worse. "I suppose anonymity only lasts for so long," he said, a bit more wistfully than he meant to. "What brought my name up?"

Whatever Strife muttered into his shoulder was so quiet that even Genesis' advanced hearing couldn't pick it up.

"There's something to be said for speaking loudly and clearly, cadet."

"You said we should be friends!" Strife blurted, then quickly covered his bright-red face.

Genesis was speechless.

He'd drunkenly offered his _friendship?_ To a _cadet?_ What the hell was he thinking? Not only would be he ridiculed for his hypocrisy by over half the company, but he barely knew Strife. It had taken the commander nearly a year to finally open himself up to Sephiroth, and the general was a man he'd admired.

What to do, then? Explain that he sometimes said things he didn't really mean while intoxicated and retract the offer?

Sneaking a glance over at the cadet, Genesis found him peeking out between his fingers at him. The blond flinched and promptly hid again.

No. The redhead sighed. He couldn't do that. Not to the kid who'd gotten beaten up twice in three days. If there was one thing Strife needed, it was the support of someone he could trust.

_Can I even be that person, though?_

"_I_ said we should be friends," Genesis echoed at length. "Friendship, however, isn't a one-way street, you know. I wouldn't say I've been exactly kind to you, Strife. Why would you want to be friends with _me?"_

The cadet lowered his hands into his lap and stared at the floor for a few moments before speaking. "All my life, people have either told me I have talent or that I'm a loser," he started, twisting his fingers together. "And ever since I joined the army, I've been a complete and utter failure. Everyone always says I can't do anything right and picks on me. You're... you're the only one who didn't laugh in my face when I said I wanted to join SOLDIER."

It was the redhead's turn to be uncomfortable. All Strife wanted was for someone else to believe in his dream, too.

And here he was, stubbornly forcing himself to as part of a bet with Sephiroth, the very person the cadet looked up to and idolized.

Genesis Rhapsodos was not worthy of Cloud Strife's friendship.

"I don't want to get your hopes up, Strife, because there are probably more people out there willing to reach out to you. As your superior officer, the boundaries of such a relationship would be severely limited," he said earnestly, watching the boy's face fall. "_But_, I do enjoy your company and... and my door is always open to you."

"Th-thank you," the cadet breathed, looking a little shocked. "I, um... you're not so bad, either, sir."

* * *

><p>"Have you spoken to Genesis recently?"<p>

Sephiroth, not bothering to glance up from his paperwork, shook his head. "Not since we sparred a few days ago," he replied. "And the conversation mostly consisted of some ridiculous pre-fight banter and him swearing at me."

The leather couch against the wall sighed as a heavy weight was set down on it. "He hates me."

The sound of Angeal being melodramatic forced the general to set his pen aside and look over at his friend. "Are you sure you're not overreacting?" he asked.

Angeal gave him a pained glare. "_Genesis_ is overreacting," he corrected. "I snuck into the observation area in the training room he and the cadet use-"

"You were _spying _on him?" Sephiroth questioned. He hadn't thought the man had it in him. No wonder Genesis was upset. The general was impressed.

"I wasn't spying! It's a public training room!" Angeal exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air. "I was completely justified in my right to be worried. You _know_ how Genesis treats cadets; how he's always treated them. I just wanted to make sure he wasn't hurting the poor kid for my own peace of mind."

Sephiroth arched an eyebrow. "And is your peace of mind satisfied with what you saw?"

"No. He was playing baseball with him, Sephiroth. _Base. Ball."_

If Sephiroth had actually known what baseball was, he might have been as appalled as Angeal. The Demon of Wutai did not, though. However, he nodded as if he did. 'Playing' implied it to be along the lines of childish, so he figured it couldn't be all that productive. "I see," he muttered.

"And when I confronted him about it, he get upset and refused to tell me his reasons behind it." Angeal sighed, rubbing his face. "I've tried calling him, but he either doesn't answer or hangs up on me. He hates me, Sephiroth. I've finally pushed him over the edge. Nearly two decades of friendship gone up in smoke."

Frowning, Sephiroth gave his friend a pitying look. He and Genesis fought all the time, but that was just how they interacted. Genesis took delight in pushing his buttons and Sephiroth had quickly learned how to push right back. In fact, if it weren't for the redhead's constant teasing and snide remarks, it was likely he never would've developed a sense of humor and humanity. Both he and Angeal were necessary components in his life, and it wouldn't do to have them not on speaking terms.

"Perhaps I'll go and talk with him later," Sephiroth decided, picking up his pen again.

* * *

><p>Crimson made the best pancakes.<p>

_Ever._

Even better than his mother's and the ones Zack had given him that Angeal made.

Cloud couldn't help the bounce in his step as he strode down the hall. It was turning out to be a fantastic day. First the pancakes, and then Crimson had complimented him on his push-up form during training! Well, maybe he hadn't exactly_ complimented_ him. More like told him he didn't resemble a deranged moogle trying to do the limbo anymore, but still. It was a step in the right direction.

"Well, someone sure is chipper today."

The cadet waved at Zack, who was coming in the opposite direction, carrying his sword. "Hey, Zack."

"Hey yourself, Spiky," the Second retorted, hooking an arm around his neck and ruffling the blond's hair. "What's got you so happy?"

Wiggling out of Zack's grip, Cloud shrugged. "Just one of those days, I guess," he said. "Are you headed to training?"

Putting his hands on his hips in what he probably thought to be a heroic manner, the older boy nodded. "Yep! Gonna go show some simulation monsters the power of SOLDIER Second Class, Zack Fair!" he grinned. "You wanna come watch the show?"

"Sure," Cloud nodded, letting himself be dragged back down the hallway to the SOLDIER training rooms.

The sound of an explosion greeted them as Zack opened the door to the observation area. On the other side of the tinted glass, flames and smoke wafted up into the air. Unconsciously, Cloud inched closer to the Second.

"What's going on in there?" he asked in a small voice.

"Ah, probably some First making a mess," Zack said, as if he were talking about the weather. "I'm a little early, so whoever it is isn't done yet."

Cloud hesitantly followed Zack over to the window and peered down into the training area. Five large birds with long skinny necks and rust-colored feathers ran around the room, flapping their short wings angrily at their attacker. The agile First dodging their pointed beaks was none other than Crimson.

He wore the same red leather coat with the black pauldrons that the blond had seen him in the night his nose got smashed in, and he wielded a long, heavy-looking, red sword with an elaborate hilt. Cloud watched in rapt fascination as his teacher fought, never having witnessed him in action before. It was unlike anything he'd ever seen before. Crimson moved quickly and fluidly, each motion leading seamlessly into the next. The redhead's brow furrowed in concentration as he combined elegant swordplay with brief bouts of fire-based attacks.

"Hey Zack?"

"Hm?"

The cadet bit his bottom lip as one of the birds went down. Should he ask? "Who is that?"

"You really don't know?" Zack sounded surprised.

Cloud glanced at him and shook his head.

"That, my little chocobo friend, is the esteemed Commander, Genesis Rhapsodos," the Second said with false bravado. "I'm surprised a little squirt like you hasn't gotten set on fire for not polishing his boots yet."

And just like that, Cloud Strife's world stopped.

Crimson...

...was Genesis Rhapsodos?

He couldn't believe it.

"R-Really?" he croaked, feeling a little faint. The Scourge of the Regular Army was training him? It just... didn't make any sense. From what Zack had told him, Commander Rhapsodos was cruel and delighted in torturing poor, innocent cadets and infantrymen within an inch of their lives. In fact, Zack had just recently compared him to...

Jadak.

"The one and only," Zack replied and leaning over to flip a switch on the simulation control board. He spoke into a microphone. "Yo!" he yelled, drawing out the 'o' sound. "Having fun down there?"

Genesis paused in the middle of stabbing one of the birds long enough to give the observation room his middle finger. Chuckling, Zack turned off the mic.

"As you can tell, we're quite close," he joked.

Cloud was too numb to laugh. He stared listlessly as Crimson—no, _Genesis_ finished off the last of the monsters and stroke briskly towards the stairs, trotting up to the room. The door flew open and the cadet wished he could melt into the shadows.

"Spying on me, Fair?" Genesis snapped, focusing on pulling the materia out of his sword. "You're picking up Angeal's bad habits faster than children spread sickness."

The Second snorted. "I certainly don't blame him. You're not exactly known for your benevolence around other people."

"One more word and I'll make sure you never forget it either."

Swallowing the lump that had formed in his throat, Cloud found his voice. "G-Genesis?"

The commander's head shot up and zeroed in on the cadet he'd been too busy to notice. "What are you doing here?" he asked, voice laced with suspicion.

That was all the blond needed to hear. Crimson had obviously been hiding something, and this was it. "I came... to watch Zack," he managed.

Sighing, the redhead rolled his eyes. "Wonderful," he muttered under his breath.

"Why wouldn't you tell me?" Cloud pressed.

"Whoa, hold it!" Zack glanced back and forth between the two of them. "You two know each other?"

The blond nodded. "He's been training me."

Eyes going wide, the Second gasped. "No _way! _You mean you're _theee_ cadet?" He rounded on Genesis in an instant. "Of all the cadets in ShinRa, you just _had_ to pick _my_ friend, didn't you?"

"Just because he's your _friend_ doesn't make him any more special than anyone else," the redhead spat out. "It's not like any of us _knew _he was_."_

"Wait a second," Cloud interrupted, feeling like he was missing something. "What's going on?"

Genesis opened his mouth, but Zack beat him to it.

"He's only training you so he can win a bet," he spat, disgusted, "against Sephiroth."

Time ground to a halt, the seconds mashing up against each other in the confusion. Cloud blinked several times, rolling the words around in his head, trying to make sense of them. Genesis had made a bet with Sephiroth? He was part of a _bet?_

"Y-you were using me?" he asked, staring at Genesis in shock.

The auburn First clenched his jaw, tightening his hand around his sword's hilt. He finally looked at Cloud with cold eyes. "_Yes,"_ he hissed venomously. "When I first saw you, I thought you were a failure just like everyone else. Then Sephiroth put forth the terms of the bet and I wasn't about to lose an opportunity to prove myself superior."

Everything Crimson had told him... all of it was a lie. Even Crimson himself had been a ruse; just another identity for Genesis to use to instil false security in him. Betrayal stabbed Cloud in the chest, brutally twisting the knife. He watched in agony as all his hope slipped through his fingers like sand.

"I _never_ _wanted_ to train you. In fact, I would've walked away after the first day if it wasn't for the bet. So you should consider yourself lucky, because there are a lot of Seconds out there just itching to get in a training room with me."

"Lucky?" Cloud echoed in disbelief. "I'm lucky I got a complete _fake_ for a teacher?"

Genesis was on him in an instant, slamming him back against the wall. "You ought to be grateful I even wasted my time with you."

"It's not like I asked for it!" The cadet's lower lip trembled. "All this time I... I thought you were different. I looked up to you. Even more than I looked up to Sephiroth."

Genesis' eyes widened in surprise.

"But now I know the truth. You're just like all the other bullies. You're cruel and manipulative and you'll _never_ be a hero."

Before he could register what was happening, Cloud felt himself being thrown across the room. He hit the ground hard, pain rocketing through his shoulder. He stared up at the commander, who had moved like lightning to tower over him, in utter shock. The point of his scarlet blade rested against the blond's throat. He swallowed, feeling the warm metal press into his skin.

"If you choose to disregard everything I've taught you, then so be it," Genesis growled. "But remember this: I will do whatever I damn well please, and if you don't want to get stepped on then you'd better learn how to get the hell out of the way. I am _not _afraid to crush you."

And with that, the commander swept away, coat fluttering behind him. He shoved Zack away from the control board. Sending Genesis a glare, the Second rushed to Cloud's side.

"I hope you're proud of yourself," he said, helping the cadet to his feet.

"Of course I am!" the redhead shouted angrily. "Do you know anyone else in the company who could've turned around as pathetic an excuse for a soldier as him in only a week?"

"But _betting_ on it, Genesis? This isn't the Gold Saucer. Real people are involved, and those people are getting hurt because of it."

Genesis tossed an ugly look over shoulder. "I'm not called _'heartless'_ for nothing." Pressing a final button on the simulation control board, he swiped up his discarded materia. He reentered the training room and slammed the door behind him.

Finally alone with Zack, Cloud let the tears roll down his cheeks. Just when he and Crimson were starting to get along, everything had fallen apart.

"I'm really sorry, Spiky," Zack sighed, pulling the cadet into a hug. "I would've warned you sooner if only I'd known..."

Cloud squeezed his eyes shut. At least he still had Zack.

* * *

><p>Something was seriously wrong this time. Genesis wasn't in his office, he wasn't at his apartment, and he wasn't answering his phone. It was getting on towards ten, much later than he'd intended to be looking for his friend, and Sephiroth was starting to worry. The redhead wouldn't be out in Sector 8 this late on a weeknight, so that left the training rooms as the only places left to look.<p>

Much to the general's surprise, that was exactly where he found Genesis.

"What are you doing here?" Sephiroth called down to the commander, who was facing off with a King Behemoth. The monster swiped at Genesis with his large, spiked tail and the redhead just barely managed to roll out of the way, staggering unsteadily to his feet.

"What does it _look_ like?" Genesis snapped back icily, dodging another attack. He paused, leaning up against the wall to catch his breath.

"Do you even know what time it is?" But even as he asked, the general knew Genesis had been down there much longer than he should have been. He was completely exhausted. With enhanced senses, Sephiroth could see the redhead's hand trembling on his sword and he could hear his harsh breaths over the roar of the monster.

The commander lunged for the Behemoth with none of his normal finesse. "No," he grunted, "and I don't care."

"You should probably—" Sephiroth's grip on the railing tightened and he cut himself off as Genesis narrowly missed getting clawed in the face. "...Do you need any help?"

"_NO_, damn it, I don't need any help!" the redhead screeched. Summoning whatever strength he had left, he unleashed an Energy attack into the Behemoth's face. The monster cried out in anguish, finally defeated. Genesis, with a tiny smirk of victory, crumpled to the floor.

Sephiroth deserted the railing and ran down the stairs to his fallen comrade. The commander was drenched in sweat and a large gash in his side underneath his jacket was sluggishly oozing blood. Sephiroth hastily pulled off his gloves and examined the wound.

"Hey Sephiroth?" Genesis slurred. "Did you know that I'm a monster?"

"No, but I do know that you're bleeding and that you've been inflicted with poison," he replied, giving the redhead an odd look. He examined Rapier. "How come you don't have a Curaga equipped?"

A dry, tired laugh escaped the man's lips. "Monsters don't cure themselves. They fight until they're dead."

"You're not a monster, Genesis."

"_Dreams of the morrow hath the shattered soul... pride is lost, wings stripped away... the end is nigh."_

"You're delusional," Sephiroth insisted, grasping Rapier's hilt and worming his arms underneath Genesis' knees and shoulders. He lifted the redhead up and headed back towards the stairs.

Genesis hummed, head lolling back. "Always the hero, aren't you?" he murmured. "You aren't supposed to save the enemy, you know."

"Are you implying that you have become such since I saw you last?"

"Don't SOLDIERs kill monsters?"

The general rolled his eyes. "And I'm fairly certain you're not one of them."

"Believe what you want, Sephiroth."

Even under the combined effects of negative status ailments, fatigue and blood loss, Genesis' behavior wasn't anywhere near normal. The redhead was obviously upset over something, and Sephiroth resolved to find out why and fix it. Although, a feeling in his gut told him it wasn't going to be easy.

* * *

><p><em>RegenesisX<em>


	10. Chapter 10

**MAKING THE CUT**

_"We are... monsters. We have neither dreams, nor honor." ~ Genesis Rhapsodos_

**DAY 9**

1:22 AM.

Genesis blinked open his eyes in confusion.

He'd been running down a dark hallway, being pursued by hordes of winged creatures. They'd surrounded him and began engulfing him like a massive tidal wave, shrieking at him, insisting that he was a monster and he was to join their ranks. He tried to escape, but the closer he looked at the creatures, he realized that every single one of them had his face.

And then he blinked, and found himself to be staring at a blank red wall.

Had it been a dream, then?

Sighing, Genesis rolled onto his back only to wince as pain spiked at his side.

"Good to see you've joined the land of the living again."

He glanced over to see Sephiroth standing in the doorway, looking rather... tired. "Are you alright?"

"Shouldn't I be asking _you_ that?" the general said, moving to sit on the edge of the bed.

"Huh?" And then Genesis was flooded by a torrent of memories and emotions. "Oh."

Sephiroth idly drummed his fingers on the bedspread. "Would you like to tell me what happened?"

Rolling onto his good side, Genesis buried his face in his pillow. "I screwed up."

"I'm sure it can't be that bad."

"Oh Sephiroth, you haven't the slightest idea of the magnitude in which I have screwed up," he murmured. "I had a chance to _help_ someone else and I blew it, all because I'm too selfish and rank-conscious. And now he hates me."

Obviously agitated, the general huffed in annoyance. "_Who_ hates you?"

"Cloud Strife."

"Him? Are you sure you're not blowing this out of proportion? After all, he _is_ only a cadet."

With much difficulty, Genesis forced himself into a sitting position. "That _cadet_," he hissed, "represents the majority of this company's opinion of me. He had no idea who I was this past week, and when I happened to ask if he knew Genesis Rhapsodos, do you know what he said to me?"

Sephiroth shook his head.

"That he wasn't someone he'd want to see as ShinRa's hero." Genesis squeezed his eyes shut and gritted his teeth. "If I can't even wear ShinRa's name, what does that degrade me down to? I'm pure destruction; nothing but a monster who takes orders."

"That's not true."

"It is!" the redhead yelled. "I'm not fit to help anyone, lest I pass my nature on to others. _My friend, the fates are cruel... there are no dreams, no honor remains... the arrow has left the bow of the goddess."_

A firm hand came to grip his upper arm and Genesis reluctantly looked up to meet the general's sea-green eyes.

"You. Are. _Not_. A monster," Sephiroth said, emphasizing each word with a pointed shake of his hand. "You are Genesis Rhapsodos, my Second in Command and the only one I would ever want to have. Over the years, you've taught me to be more human than I could've ever hoped to become on my own. How could a monster teach me that?"

The commander sighed. "It's not that simple, Sephiroth... I've done damage that I couldn't possibly ever undo."

"Tell me what happened," he urged.

"I saw too much of myself in Strife and it made me careless. I started telling him things that I really didn't mean to, and it brought us closer than intended. When the time came to finally address the problem, I was too weak to just tell him no and I regretted it." Genesis shifted, pulling his knees to his chest. "After that, he found out who I really was and why I was training him, and I got scared. I thought that if I hurt him first, it would save me from getting hurt, but in reality it did just the opposite. Now I've let you down, I've let Angeal down, but most of all I've let myself down. And I've lost someone who I think could've become a very valuable friend to me."

"And how long were you in that training room?"

"I don't know," he shrugged. "I started at three and ended whenever you found me."

"Genesis! That's seven hours straight," Sephiroth frowned. "You can't go that long without taking a break or Curing yourself. Or even drinking _water,_ for Shiva's sake. What the hell were you thinking?"

"I wasn't, alright?" the redhead snapped, balling up his fist and punching the mattress. "You don't know what he said to me, how I felt. I needed to distract myself."

The general snorted and pinched the bridge of his nose. "That is so like you, Genesis. You lose your temper and act like it's everyone else's fault," he chastised. "Maybe you should stop whining about your problems and try to fix them instead."

Genesis pinned Sephiroth with an icy glare. "How can I possibly fix this?" he demanded. "_Dreams of the morrow hath the shattered soul, pride is lost, wings stripped away, the end is-"_

"Stop that," Sephiroth interjected, cutting off the last of the verse. "Are you just trying to redeem yourself in the eyes of this cadet so you can win our bet?"

The question made the redhead pause. Was it really still about winning a bet? Not really. From the start, all the bet had been to him was a way to prove himself just as good as..._better_ than Sephiroth and Angeal as a mentor. Of course, he'd obviously lost already.

Except halfway through the journey, his emotions began to get involved.

He stopped seeing Strife as a means to an end and started seeing him as a human being. One who reminded Genesis painfully of himself.

Granted, the redhead had been one of the most talented cadets the company had ever seen while Strife was two steps away from getting dropped from the program, but they both had the same drive, the same dream. Strife was an innocent child who wanted nothing more than to become something, _someone_... Genesis could remember the nights when he'd lay back in his family's orchard and gaze up at the stars, imagining himself battling ferocious monsters, rescuing civilians and garnering the praise of his admirers.

Had Strife done the same back in Nibelheim?

"He told me he looked up to me..." Genesis whispered hoarsely, surprised that tears were threatening him. "I was... I was his hero, Sephiroth. I-I'm so cruel..."

Sighing, the general shook his head. "You're not cruel, you've only acted that way," he said at length. "It's never too late to change, Genesis."

The redhead blinked. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, if you don't like who you are, then you should make an effort to change instead of just lamenting about it," he replied.

Leaning his head against his knees, Genesis traced abstract patters on the blanket with his finger. "How? I've been like this for so long, I wouldn't even know what I'd want to become."

"Well," Sephiroth said, standing up from the bed and heading out of the room. "You'll just have to think about that, won't you?"

And so he left the commander alone in the dark with nothing but his turbulent thoughts for company.

* * *

><p>The implication of <em>'Don't bother showing up tomorrow'<em> had been in Genesis' words yesterday, and that was one order Cloud was more than willing to follow. After crying himself to sleep last night, the cadet had woken up strangely calm, as though he'd gotten all the swirling emotions out of his system and could now think clearly. It still hurt, knowing he'd only been a pawn in a game between two First Classes, but in a way he felt stronger because of it. And he refused to let anyone take advantage of his weakness like that again.

With an air of new confidence, he strode proudly down the hallway to his combat class. He would no longer play the innocent shadow on the wall who startled at the slightest noise. Cloud Strife was going to pass that exam, and he was going to do it without _anyone's_ help.

For the first time in months, the blond arrived on time. He ignored his fellow peers for the most part as he got ready in the locker room, only sending glares to those who got in his way. It wasn't so much that he was intimidating that made them leave him alone, but the fact that Cloud never glared. Period.

The kid obviously meant business.

As soon as class started, the cadet threw everything he had into training. He forced himself to do more pushups, more sit ups, and jog more laps, pushing his body to its limits. He made sure his aim with the rifle was steady and straight, and shot more bullseyes than he ever thought he was capable of.

Cloud Strife used to be the cadet everyone would laugh at when he screwed up.

But today, there just was something about the determined glint in his eyes, the hardness of his expression and the almost challenging tilt of his chin that confused even Jadak. For once, he was not bothered. He felt like a machine: a powerful locomotive that could not be stopped by any human means.

"Alright, you grunts," Instructor Davis bellowed, meaty hands going to his hips in what looked like a pathetic attempt at a heroic stance, "line up!"

The sweaty, panting cadets scrambled into formation. Cloud felt a sharp jab in his side and glanced over to see that he'd ended up beside Yuza. The taller blond gave him a questioning glance, obviously having noticed the change in his behavior as well. Instead of shrinking away like he normally would, Cloud matched his gaze until Yuza chuckled in that eerie way of his and turned his attention back to Instructor Davis.

"Now... how many of ya' wanna be in SOLDIER?" the brawny man asked.

Nearly everyone in the room raised their hand. Much to Cloud's surprise, Yuza wasn't one of them. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Jadak glaring at his older brother. Yuza kept his eyes forward.

"Well, none of ya are getting anywhere if ya can't at least swing a sword," he continued. "Tomorrow, all of you are starting your official sword training. So make sure you idiots get out your aggression before class since I'm not gonna scrape your carcasses off this floor if you decide to stab each other. _Dis-missed!"_

The other cadets thundered by, leaving Cloud to trail behind in their wake.

_Real_ sword training! Finally! With a slight bounce in his step, he headed off to the Mess Hall. He couldn't wait to tell Zack.

* * *

><p>Angeal poked his head into Sephiroth's office. The general was bent over his desk as usual, long silver hair brushing the edge of the paper he was writing on. Angeal rapped his knuckles on the door frame, even though Sephiroth was probably already aware of his presence.<p>

"Did you... get a chance to talk with Genesis?" he asked, getting right to the point.

Wordlessly, Sephiroth nodded.

Well. That was... maddeningly unhelpful. Angeal folded his arms. "And? How is he?"

"I believe you should go ask him yourself."

"Will I be endangering my life if I do that?"

Sephiroth shrugged. "Genesis is unpredictable," he said. "Regardless, you need to sort out whatever happened between the two of you."

Sighing in defeat, Angeal bid the general farewell and traipsed down the corridor to pay his childhood friend a visit. He paused in front of the door and took a deep breath before lifting his hand to knock. No turning back now. Angeal winced at the sound of a muffled curse, then a louder call for entry.

"Genesis? Can we talk?" he asked, stepping inside the redhead's office.

The look Genesis gave him was smoldering enough to melt a Blizzaga spell. Angeal immediately regretted listening to Sephiroth. "No," the redhead growled.

"Don't be like that. I just want to apologize. I should have confronted you directly instead of sneaking behind your back, and I'm sorry."

Scoffing, the redhead sneered. "Why hello Kettle, you're black."

Angeal furrowed his brow. "Excuse me?"

"Don't bother apologizing for things you're not sorry for," Genesis said harshly as he stood from his chair. "You're just about as sorry as I am on the rare occasion I actually manage to disarm Sephiroth."

"No, Genesis, it isn't like that—"

"The end justified the means, didn't it? After all, you got exactly the proof you wanted that I was an unfit teacher. Who really cares how you found out?"

"I do," Angeal snapped, losing his patience. "It was dishonorable of me and if there's anything I can do to make it up to you..."

Suddenly, the redhead's posture deflated. "Unless you can turn back time, I'm afraid you'll have to be satisfied with doing nothing," he sighed.

"Genesis, I really _am_ sorry—"

"You got your wish."

"What?"

"I am no longer a teacher," he said icily, "so there is no need to fear the corruption of innocent youth."

_No longer a teacher? _"Wait, what happened?" Angeal asked.

Genesis laughed. "You mean your loyal hound hasn't told you yet?"

Shaking his head, the brunet folded his arms. "Evidently not."

"Then I suppose I'll let _him_ tell you, since you're more likely to take his word over mine anyway."

Angeal opened his mouth to respond, but a knock sounded at the door.

"Come in," Genesis barked.

The door opened to reveal Instructor Davis, the man in charge of training the cadets. He glanced back and forth between the two Firsts for a few seconds before fixing his attention on Genesis and giving him a salute.

"Commander Rhapsodos, sir," he said by way of greeting and ignored Angeal completely. "I would be much obliged if you would pay my class a visit tomorrow for a sword demonstration."

Immediately, the redhead looked wary. "Why aren't you asking Sephiroth?"

"General Sephiroth said he was busy and recommended you, sir."

"Figures," Genesis muttered, rolling his eyes. He shot Angeal a look. "Don't tell me; you're busy tomorrow too?"

"Yes," the First nodded, "I'm going out on a mission tomorrow." He stood in astonishment, wondering why the redhead was trying to get _out_ of an opportunity to show off when it dawned on him. Instructor Davis taught Cloud's class. So something really _did_ happen. A stone of dread sank into Angeal's stomach.

"Very well," the commander grumbled. "I will... _oblige_ you."

Davis looked confused for a few moments until he finally decided to take that as a 'yes.' "Very good, sir!" he grinned. Angeal couldn't help noticing he was missing a tooth. "Oh, and by the way, sir?"

Genesis arched an eyebrow.

"_What_ in Shiva's name did you do to that little blond runt?"

Turning away, the redhead shook his head. "I'd rather not talk about it."

"Suit yourself," Davis shrugged as he moved to leave. "But whatever it was, he's sure as hell improved. Wish all my students were as motivated as he was today."

From the way Genesis' hand twitched, Angeal knew his friend was itching to run the burly instructor through. If things were really that bad, he wasn't looking forward to talking to Zack.

* * *

><p><em>RegenesisX<em>


	11. Chapter 11

**MAKING THE CUT**

_"But alas, in our happy flock, he's what you'd call a black sheep." ~ Kadaj_

Angeal shuffled into his apartment that evening to find Zack playing monopoly with none other than Cloud Strife.

"You're putting _another_ hotel on Boardwalk?"

"Um, yes?"

"_Cloud!_ Are you purposefully trying to make me lose?"

"I believe that's the point of the game, Zack."

The First cleared his throat and the two boys jerked their heads around to look at him. "Hello Zack, Cadet Strife," he greeted.

"Hey Angeal," Zack sighed, obviously distraught over the game.

The blond's blue eyes widened. "S-Sir?" he stammered. "You... know me?"

Angeal started to nod, before he realized the cadet really wasn't supposed to know he knew who he was. But it was too late to take it back, as ice slipped into the blond's gaze and his shoulders drooped.

"Oh," he said shortly, lowering his eyes back to the game board. "You knew about the bet too, then."

"Aw, c'mon Spiky. Don't be like that." Zack gave the blond's shoulder a nudge. "Angeal isn't like _him."_

One guess who _'him' _was. Frowning, Angeal crossed his arms. "Genesis told you about the bet, then?" he asked.

The cadet shrugged, picking at his shoe. "Not exactly..."

"I guess I kinda blurted it out," Zack admitted, rubbing the back of his head. "But Spiky would've found eventually anyway, so it's better that he knows now."

"But you... you weren't part of it?" Cloud blinked up at Angeal with wide eyes.

Sitting down beside Zack, Angeal shook his head. "I may have goaded him a little bit with regards to taking on an apprentice, but I've been trying to get him to warm up to the lower classes for years. It was never my intention for him to train someone as part of a _bet."_

"I suppose that's Genesis for you," Zack snorted. "Always thinking of himself instead of anyone else."

Angeal shot his apprentice a glare. "Would one of you care to tell me what happened?" he queried.

"Well I-"

"You see, Genesis-"

"Ah-ah," the First interrupted, holding his hands up when the two of them started speaking at the same time. "Let's let Cloud go first."

The cadet looked caught off-guard at being put on the spot, but stammered out his reply anyway. "I went with Zack to go watch him train and when we got there, Genesis was down in the training room," he said at length. "I got curious, so I asked Zack who he was... and... and then he came up and..."

"And then _I_ realized what was going on and told Cloudy about the bet," Zack continued for him. "Next thing you know, Genesis is freaking the heck out at him and throws him across the room!"

_That_ caught Angeal's attention. "Did he really do that?" he demanded.

Cloud nodded after a moment, pulling his knees to his chest.

"You see?" the Second exclaimed, throwing his arms in the air. "I _knew_ Genesis was just a selfish bastard all along, but none of you believed me!"

Pursing his lips together, Angeal frowned and sighed. The whole thing was just messed up. Genesis had gone straight from boasting Cloud's abilities to apparently flying off the handle at him and literally tossing him away. But the Genesis _he_ knew would've been ranting and raging about how much he hated Cloud if that were the case. When he'd spoken to him earlier, the redhead seemed almost upset with _himself._

He was definitely going to need to sit down with Sephiroth. Perhaps the general had some other pieces of the 10,000-piece puzzle that was Genesis Rhapsodos.

* * *

><p><strong>DAY 10<strong>

Energy was one spark away from igniting in Genesis' hand and flinging into the nearest person, plant or object. Fists clenched at his sides, the commander stormed down the hallway. His dark aura was difficult to miss and everyone immediately darted out of his path.

It wasn't like him to get like this. So... _put off_ by a subordinate. Sure, the occasional lower-class SOLDIER got on his nerves and he frequently took out his frustrations on cadets, but he could walk away without batting an eyelash. This was different, because he'd personally invested himself in trying to help Strife succeed, and Strife had thrown it all back in his face.

Just as Genesis swept around a corner, someone barreled straight into him. Being a SOLDIER First, the redhead barely registered the impact, but when he looked down, he saw a young infantryman sprawled on the floor. File folders and papers were strewn about, obviously had been being carried by the boy. His green eyes were open as wide as they could go, a mix of absolute shock and horror written on his face.

"I-I'm so sorry, sir!" he stammered, scrambling to his knees. He tried to scrape some of the papers off the floor, but his hands were shaking too much. "I was in s-such a hurry, I-I just... I d-didn't mean to, sir!"

Genesis opened his mouth, fully ready to tell the boy off for being so daft, then stopped. He let out a sigh and, much to his own surprise as well as the infantryman's, bent down to help him retrieve the documents.

"Th-thank you, sir," the boy whispered in awe as he took the papers from the commander.

"Where are you headed?" Genesis asked, offering him a hand to help him up.

The infantryman gingerly allowed himself to be pulled to his feet. "Director Lazard's office, sir," he replied. "B-but I got a little lost on my way up here, a-and... well, I've heard he likes his things delivered on time."

He was so young, Genesis realized as he assessed the boy. The scarf on his uniform seemed to swallow up his face, making him all eyes and shaggy brown hair. It was likely he wasn't going to even make it into the regular army, and the company was having him run errands until they could send him back home.

"You tell Lazard that you were detained by Commander Rhapsodos," he ordered, "and if he wants to complain about not getting his precious files, he can yell at me. Understood?"

For a moment, the boy stared in disbelief. "Yes, sir," he finally nodded. "Thank you, sir."

Genesis flashed him a ghost of a smile. "On your way, Soldier."

The boy scurried off, and the commander gazed after him.

"Hey," he called.

Hesitating, the boy looked back towards him. "Sir?"

"What's your name?"

"Fairbanks, sir. Storm Fairbanks."

"Storm," Genesis echoed, chuckling dryly. "Have a good day, Cadet Fairbanks."

"...You too, sir."

The infantryman vanished into the elevator and Genesis turned to continue down the corridor, but suddenly stopped short. There, at the other end of the hall, was Sephiroth. Smirking ever so slightly, the general arched an eyebrow, and Genesis knew he'd seen the whole exchange. The redhead strode down the hall towards him, shoulders back and head held high, moving with as much arrogance as he possessed. He purposefully let his stride falter as he passed Sephiroth, tilting his head to address him.

"Don't expect it to happen again."

Without looking back, Genesis continued on, feeling the general's amused catlike eyes watching him.

* * *

><p>Cloud stifled a yawn, trying in vain to rub the sleep out of his eyes. He hadn't slept well last night and then this morning Zack had burst into his room at an ungodly hour to drag him out for breakfast. Apparently, the Second was even more excited about Cloud's sword training than the cadet was.<p>

He'd hoped once they'd done their warm ups that he would wake up, but so far, Cloud's body still felt dull. When Instructor Davis yelled for them to line up, the blond let everyone else rush into place before taking a spot at the end of the line.

"Well boys, today I've got a real treat for you," Davis announced, then laughed. "Or maybe not, depending on how you look at it."

Some of the cadets in line shifted uneasily.

"As you know, you all are starting your introduction to sword combat today and—"

Whatever else Davis had to say was cut off when the doors to the training room slide open and in walked none other than Commander Genesis Rhapsodos.

Cloud couldn't believe it.

The commander moved with an air of superiority; one that hadn't been there before. During his training sessions with Cloud, he was more raw, letting his temper sizzle until it exploded in short bursts. Cloud recalled Crimson's anger making _him_ angry, feeding his desire to prove the First wrong about him. Now, however, Genesis carried a cold sort of pride and he cast his gaze over the line of cadets like a king looking over his subjects. Halting beside the instructor, the redhead made Davis look short, dirty, and disproportional.

"May I introduce you to Commander Rhapsodos," Davis grinned, that one missing tooth glaringly obvious. "Commander, here are your grunts to torture—I mean _teach_ for the day."

Genesis looked like he wanted to roll his eyes at the man's lousy attempt at humor. "Thank you, _Lieutenant,"_ he said shortly.

The cadet next to Cloud let out a shaky breath, and when the blond looked over, he noticed the taller boy was sweating a little. Glancing further down the line, he realized many of his peers were in similar situations. Some of them were wide-eyed with terror, others looked like they might pee their pants. Even Jadak looked nervous.

So they'd all heard the rumors, then.

"I want everyone over to the weapons' rack and back here with a sword in the next thirty seconds," Genesis barked. "_Go."_

Cloud barely had time to jump out of the way as a flood of panicked cadets surged towards him. They made a beeline for the weapon's rack, not caring who they pushed out of the way or who got trampled in the meantime. The blond lagged behind, knowing from past experience that it was useless for him to push or shove anywhere. When everyone had finally returned to the line again, their thirty seconds were undoubtedly up and there was one sword left. Cloud reached for it and pulled.

The sword didn't budge.

A quick look over his shoulder confirmed that everyone was staring at him, waiting for him to get back in line. Turning back to the sword, the blond examined it more closely, trying to figure out why it was stuck. He noticed the blade was at a slight angle, having been forced into the rack incorrectly.

"Figures," he muttered under his breath, giving the hilt another tug. It still wouldn't move.

Bracing one foot on the wall, Cloud sucked in a deep breath and yanked on it as hard as he could. At first nothing happened, then it suddenly slid free and the cadet went flying backwards onto the floor, sword clattering beside him with a metallic _clang! _He scrambled to his feet and, shooting his weapon a glare, shuffled back to the line.

There was a moment of silence and Cloud was acutely aware of the amount of eyes trained on him.

"Now that we're _all_ here," Genesis said with an edge in his voice, "I want you to pair up."

Unsurprisingly, no one wanted to be with Cloud. The rest of the cadets milled about quietly, picking partners, until everyone was in a group of two except for the blond. They had an odd number in their class, so Instructor Davis usually made one group of three instead—

Cloud jumped when he felt a hand clamp down on his shoulder.

"Turn to your partners and make sure you both have a firm grip on your weapons," Genesis ordered.

Allowing the redhead to turn him around, Cloud dropped his gaze as the commander tugged on his sword.

"If you let go, your grip is too loose," he continued. "If your grip is tight but you get pulled forward, you're too tense. You have to let your body relax and move _with_ the sword."

To demonstrate, Genesis yanked on Cloud's sword. The cadet kept an iron grip on the hilt, but let his arms extend out with the pull.

"Like that," the redhead said.

A few of the other boys' eyes widened, obviously shocked at his seemingly random skill. Of course, they didn't know Cloud had already done this with a baseball bat.

While they class attempted to perfect their sword-holding techniques, which actually turned out to be quite a challenge for most of them, Genesis turned to Cloud.

"I'm only doing this once, so watch carefully," he said, then unsheathed his own sword.

Cloud's breath caught in his throat. He'd never seen Genesis' sword up close, but it was a stunning weapon. The hilt was made out of intricate metalwork, curving over the handle and protruding out to the sides at the base of the blade like two angel's wings. The blade itself was a rich shade of red, not quite the same color as Genesis' coat, and had to be almost as long as the commander was tall. It looked strong yet elegant, much like Genesis himself.

Then the redhead began to swing the sword in a short series of arcs, slices and stabbing motions. Cloud watched in confusion until Genesis turned to him and said, "Now you do it."

He tried in vain to remember the movements, but the commander had gone quickly and he found himself stumbling through it with long pauses and jerky motions. When he was finally finished, he glanced up at Genesis, hoping he'd done it right, but the commander just gave him a cool gaze and turned to the other cadets.

It was obvious the personas of Genesis and Crimson were different. But Cloud had to wonder which one was real and which one was fake? It would be easy for him to say Crimson was the fake after what had happened, but it just didn't feel right. Crimson seemed _human_. He laughed, he got angry, he had off-days. Right now, Cloud wouldn't put it past Genesis to slaughter the whole lot of them simply because he didn't like their shoes.

"I want you all to do this exactly as I do," Genesis announced, repeating the same series of swings as before. The cadets watched in rapt attention, as did Cloud, trying to memorize each movement to copy. When he was done, the commander turned back to the blond. "You can join those two," he said, gesturing at a pair who seemed to be having some difficulties. One of them was Rolo, a pudgy individual, and Fritz, who was always spacing out during instructions. Cloud sighed and clomped over to join them.

"A-Are you okay?" Rolo asked, dabbing at his doughy face with his scarf.

Cloud wrinkled his nose at the other boy's rather pungent odor. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Commander Rhapsodos, man!" Fritz hissed. Spit sprayed from his mouth when he spoke. "He's vicious!"

"I heard two of last year's cadets ran into him after curfew one night and all that was left of them the next morning was a bloody shoe," Rolo blubbered.

Cloud rolled his eyes. "And you guys actually believe that?"

Both of them nodded, deadly serious. "And you don't?" Fritz asked incredulously.

He shook his head.

Just then, Genesis' voice broke through the lull of chatter and swish of swords. "This isn't bathroom gossip time, ladies! _Move_ or even Professor Hojo won't be able to piece you back together!"

Rolo and Fritz sprang into action, flailing their swords around like they were possessed. "You're seriously not afraid of _him?"_ Rolo squeaked.

Glancing over his shoulder, Cloud saw Genesis watching him and locked eyes with the commander. There was a challenge in the man's mako-blue eyes, daring him to succeed without his help. The blond set his jaw and readjusted his grip on his sword.

_Just you wait_, he thought before turning back to his partners.

"No. I'm not."

* * *

><p><em>RegenesisX<em>


	12. Chapter 12

**MAKING THE CUT**

_"My dream is for my parents and me to serve the hero Sephiroth our apples one day." ~ Genesis Rhapsodos_

When Instructor Davis finally dismissed the cadets, Genesis had already vanished from the training room. Cloud couldn't help wondering if the commander was avoiding him, but he was too exhausted to be bothered by it. Seeming to have completely disregarded the fact that they were still unenhanced, Genesis worked them into the ground and the blond's arms were sore and shaking from holding up the heavy metal sword.

Tired, sweaty, and generally frustrated with the world, Cloud dragged himself out of the locker room and into the hallway. His stomach growled and he weakly clamped a hand over it in an effort to get it to shut up. All he wanted to do was crawl back to his room and sleep for the rest of the day. He had half a mind to do just that when something slammed into his back and sent him flying forward.

Cloud groaned, peeling his cheek off the floor. With what seemed to be a gargantuan effort, the managed to roll himself over to glare icily up at Zol. Yuza hovered nearby, looking remarkably disinterested, and Jadak stood quiet a ways back, leaning against the wall, watching through the curtain of blond hair that fell into his face.

"Aww, is Brother mad?" Zol cadet jeered. He faked a shudder. "I'm _so_ scared."

For a moment Cloud debated just letting himself get hauled off to the toilets again—it wasn't the first, it certainly wouldn't be the last—when he caught a glimpse of red down at the other end of the hall.

Genesis was watching them.

Summoning as much strength as he could muster, the blond pushed himself up and clambered to his feet. Zol's taller, broader form loomed over him. Cloud sucked in a deep breath and straightened up.

"Leave me alone, Zol."

The other cadet blinked, then burst out laughing. "And miss playing with you, Brother? That's no fun."

Cloud didn't flinch. "I _said_ leave me alone."

"Sure," Zol scoffed. "And who's going to make me?"

Over the older boy's shoulder, the blond met Genesis' gaze. The redhead looked impassive, as if he already knew Cloud was going to get beaten up and left behind. Clenching his fists, Cloud thought of all the people back home who said he'd never make it to Midgar. He thought of all the people in ShinRa who said he'd never be a SOLDIER. All the instructors who said he was wasting his time. The other cadets who made fun of him for being so clumsy. Tifa, who might need him someday. He thought of Genesis, the one that had hurt him more than any other person in the entire company, who told him he'd never be like Sephiroth.

And then proceeded to tell him how to make the most of his small stature, and it had _worked_.

Setting his jaw, Cloud looked taller blond squarely in the eye. He wound his arm back and swung, socking Zol right in the face. Zol staggered backwards, clutching his nose. Blood seeped out between his fingers, splattering in red dots on the floor. Behind him, Yuza's eyes went wide with shock and Jadak's whole body stiffened.

"I am," Cloud said resolutely.

Zol stared at him, obviously not quite able wrap his head around the fact that the little cadet he and his brothers bullied had just _punched_ him. Ignoring his throbbing hand, Cloud tipped his nose up in the air, wheeled around and marched on down the hallway. Only when he was safely alone inside the elevator did he let himself collapse to the ground with a shaky sigh.

* * *

><p>The monster fell in a mutilated heap, blood leaking from the stumps where its head and arm used to be. With a satisfied smirk, Genesis wiped his blade on the creature's back before stepping away to continue down the alleyway.<p>

"You can stop_ lurking_ in the shadows now," he called over his shoulder. "I know you're there."

Only Genesis' enhanced hearing allowed him to hear the subtle swishes of movement behind him.

"I was wondering how long it would take you to notice," Sephiroth commented, falling into step with him.

"Oh, I was quite aware of your presence before I even left the ShinRa building."

"I'm sure you were."

The redhead lazily swung his sword. "You accidentally skipped a step coming down the stairs to the lobby, and then you had to sneeze halfway to the Sector Five station."

Sephiroth frowned, folding his arms across his chest, and Genesis laughed. "I see there's a reason why you're one of the best," the general grumbled.

"If there's a reason why I'm one of the best, then there must be a reason why I'm not _the_ best," Genesis said darkly.

They emerged out of the alley and onto a larger path. It was easy to get lost in the slums; there weren't actual roads, just spaces between all the junk where people could walk. Monsters liked crawling into dark places and crevices, which the slums were full of, making it the ideal place to go practice hunting.

"Tell me why," the redhead pressed. "Why am I not the best?"

It was a childish question, he knew, but every day, it ate at his mind. Chewed on his soul, rotted out his insides until all he could concentrate on was _why am I always second?_

"You're too emotional. You let them control you instead of controlling them."

As if he didn't know _that_ already.

"You're more interested in getting revenge than moving on," Sephiroth went on, "you let your temper run away with you, you have no respect for authority and I know the only reason you're not running me through right now is because we've been friends for so long."

Genesis tightened his grip on his sword handle, stabbing it into the ground. The general swung around to face him, expressionless and expectant. Sighing, the redhead looked him in the eye. "I'm not running you through right now because I respect you," he said. "You're right about me, I... There isn't anyone else I could hear that from. Angeal, Director Lazard... I'd even slit the Gaia-damned President's throat. Because Shinra is a fat, ugly man who can't even get up to pour his own coffee, while you can best me three out of five sparring matches."

"Four out of five."

"_Three_," Genesis hissed. "And as angry as it makes me to think about it, I can't help but admire you for it."

When Sephiroth's eyebrows went up, the redhead realized he'd never really voiced his true feelings about the general before. Back in Banora, he'd never hidden the fact that Sephiroth was his hero, but growing up as the mayor's son, he'd also learned never to act anything other than confident in himself in front of those he was trying to impress. So when he'd finally met ShinRa's poster boy, he hadn't fallen over himself in an attempt to get his autograph or show off his pathetic swordsmanship like the other Thirds. Instead, he'd looked Sephiroth up and down, cocked an eyebrow, and said, "You're shorter than I thought you'd be."

The general hadn't known what to say to that and by the end of the month, he, Genesis, and Angeal were eating lunch together, talking about battle tactics and what Reno could _possibly_ have been doing with that plunger in Director Lazard's office.

"That means a lot coming from you, Genesis," Sephiroth said after a few moments. "Thank you."

Flashing him an amused smile, the commander pulled his sword up and resumed walking. "Don't let it go to your head."

"Of course not."

The two continued on through the slums in a companionable silence, Genesis dispatching the occasional monster, until Sephiroth spoke again.

"And what of this matter with Strife?"

As he sliced the body of a land worm clean in half, Genesis paused to give the general a questioning glance. "Well, what of it?" he asked, dodging the pincers of another worm.

"Two nights ago you were nearly suicidal over it," Sephiroth pointed out.

The redhead opened his mouth to reply, but noticed a lesser worm rearing back to spit a stop thread at him and quickly backflipped out of the way, throwing an Energy attack at it as he landed. "I was _not_," he snapped indignantly, "suicidal. I was merely having an existential crisis."

"Whatever you're going to call it. I just want to know if I'm going to have to scrape you off any more training room floors. It's not something I enjoy doing, you know."

Genesis used a nearby wall to ricochet himself off of and twisted his body into a spin midair, slicing through two more of the advancing worms. "When I get put out of my comfort zone, I seek out a familiar activity," he explained. "Like killing things. I always feel more clear-headed after I've been killing things."

Worm guts landed near Sephiroth's shoe and the general made a face. "I've noticed. I usually just take a hot bath."

"And therein lies the difference between you and I. But you don't have to worry about me—"

Genesis heard him mutter _I always have to worry about you_ under his breath, but chose to ignore it.

"—I won't be losing sleep over it any more. Strife has made it quite clear he no longer wishes to have anything to do with me and honestly, I'm not sure it's worth it to convince him otherwise."

Killing the last of the worms, the redhead turned to face Sephiroth fully.

"So, I'm just going to continue on as if nothing ever happened. But wiser, and possibly more good-looking."

That cracked a smile out of the general and Genesis grinned back. "I'm sure Angeal will be absolutely delighted that you'll be attending meetings again," Sephiroth chuckled. "They're so boring without you."

Sticking out his tongue, Genesis led the way back into the market to get to the train station. "I'm sure he'll be equally pleased that I managed to leave my mark on Strife after all," he said. "He gets picked on a lot, but a particular group of cadets seem to have it out for him. Today after class, which you so _kindly_ volunteered me for, I saw them in the hall. One of them had pushed him down, but Strife got right back up and hauled off and hit him."

"_Strife_ did that?"

Genesis nodded. "Broke the poor bastard's nose."

Eyebrows coming together, Sephiroth shook his head. "I wouldn't have thought he had the arm strength."

"He's done a lot of pushups the past week and a half," the commander shrugged. He hadn't show it, but he'd been completely _blindsided _when Cloud punched that guy. Astonished, but also deeply satisfied. "...If there's one thing I could've instilled in him, I'm glad it was that."

"Random violence?"

"No! That _drive_, Sephiroth. It was there, but he'd been so bogged down by people telling him he was a failure that it'd been all but snuffed out. Even if I'm not training him anymore, at least he's going to be trying twice as hard to pass that test as everyone else now. Regardless of what I've said, I... want him to succeed."

The commander felt a hand on his shoulder and glanced over. Sephiroth's expression had softened and that rare whisper of a true smile played at his lips. "I don't see things the same way as you do," he said. "You look up and down at others, because to you, people are either above or below you. I've only ever seen you as you are now, standing next to me.

"Your emotions might make you prone to bursts of anger, but they also make you compassionate and give you a strong sense of justice. The fact that you're willing to challenge authority says that you're not just a robot of the company and I know that you'll be the first to point out the flaws in any plan. You're a brilliant strategist, an excellent swordsman, and without a doubt the best materia user on the Planet, and _I_ admire _you."_

Genesis' throat went dry and for the first time in his life, he found himself completely and utterly speechless. There was so much he wanted to say back to Sephiroth, but he just didn't have the words. So, he resorted to the one medium of expression that hadn't yet failed him.

"_There is no hate, only joy for you are beloved by the goddess," _he said, voice weak. "_Hero of the Dawn, Healer of worlds."_

The two wordlessly rode the train back to the plate, a new sort of understanding having passed between them. And when Sephiroth got stopped by a young boy wanting an autograph, Genesis hung back and watched them, feeling no animosity whatsoever.

* * *

><p><em>RegenesisX<em>


	13. Chapter 13

**MAKING THE CUT**

_"Do you think he'll be glad to see us?" ~ Yazoo_

The adrenaline humming through Cloud's veins after he'd hit Zol eventually wore off and the cadet found himself more than a little horrified at what he'd done. He just _punched_ Zol, but more than that, he'd broken his nose. If Cloud wasn't dead to him before, he certainly was now. With that in mind, the cadet made sure to make himself as scarce as possible in the hallways and kept a vigilant eye over his shoulder. When he finally made it to the Mess Hall for dinner, his nerves were all but fried.

"Hey Spiky!"

Cloud jumped in his chair, nearly falling over at the sound of Zack's voice so close to his ear. Slapping a hand over his beating heart, the blond shot the Second a pained look. "Do you _have_ to do that?" he demanded. "As if my constant paranoia of Jadak sneaking up behind me and strangling me isn't enough."

"Sorry," Zack grinned sheepishly. "Old habits die hard."

Stabbing angrily at his pasta, the cadet frowned. "I'll be more than happy to kill them for you if you're not up to it."

"Are you feeling alright? You seem considerably less your usual chipper self and slightly more I-want-to-stab-something-repeatedly-and-watch-it-bleed-to-death."

Cloud snorted humorlessly, because that was exactly how he felt. From the moment he'd woken up things had been going downhill. "I've just had an awful day."

"Did combat class not go well?" the Second asked, reaching forward to steal a few green beans.

"...Commander Rhapsodos was there."

Zack's jaw dropped. "What? _Why?"_

"I guess Instructor Davis asked him to teach for the day," Cloud shrugged.

"Did anything happen? I mean, did he say anything to you?"

"No... I don't think he really wanted to be there, to be honest."

The Second snorted, rolling his eyes. "I'm not surprised," he said. "Swinging your sword around in front of a bunch of cadets isn't exactly hero work."

A part of Cloud agreed with Zack, but he just had an inkling that wasn't the whole reason. Underneath the mask, Genesis was a sensitive person. He couldn't possibly not have been as affected by the whole ordeal as Cloud was. "I think he's avoiding me."

"Yeah, that's a typical Genesis move," Zack replied. "But you really shouldn't care so much, Spiky. Genesis is a jerk. Always has been, always will be."

Cloud sighed, drawing lines in his mashed potatoes with his fork. The past two nights he'd found it hard to sleep, still emotionally shaken. But the more he thought, the more he found himself wondering if he was just writing Genesis off as a liar. It had been hard to see the first night, since all he'd been able to do was cry over the situation, but eventually his mind wandered back to their training sessions. Every single bit of advice, even the stray comments Genesis seemed to make mostly to himself, had proved useful.

That meant the First had taken the bet seriously enough to actually _help_ Cloud. Because, from what the cadet could tell, Genesis never put less than one hundred percent into what he did.

"He's not a jerk."

"Cloud—"

The cadet held a hand up, effectively silencing Zack. "He was right," he continued. "I was lucky to have trained with him at all, let alone a full week. If it weren't for him, I... Well, I don't know where I'd be right now."

"You'd still be here," the Second assured him. "I don't think you would've given up that easily."

"After today, I feel like I'm right back where I started. I can shoot alright, but now we're moving onto swords and those are _completely_ different from guns. And I already sucked with the baseball bat, so—" Cloud stopped, noticing Zack's odd look at his mention of baseball bats. "It's a long story. But I _know_ I'm going to have to learn how to use a sword if I ever make it into SOLDIER, and with the way things have been going, there's no way I'm going to learn _anything_ in my combat class."

For a few moments Zack was silent, seeming lost in contemplation. Cloud grew instantly wary when the Second's eyes lit up and he snapped his fingers. "I've got it!" he exclaimed. "Angeal's going to be gone for the next few days and he won't be around for our usual training sessions in the afternoon. So why don't _we_ train together instead? I can help you with your sword skills!"

Honestly, that sounded like a terrible idea. "I don't know..."

"Aw, c'mon, Cloudy! It'll be fun! What's Genesis got that I haven't?"

"Well for one thing, _Commander Rhapsodos_ is a First."

"So?"

"That means that he's finished his training," Cloud pointed out, "unlike you. How am I supposed to know if you're actually teaching me the right stuff?"

Zack gave him a very flat look. "Cloud," he deadpanned. "I _think_ I've been in SOLDIER long enough to teach you how to hold a sword correctly."

The cadet opened his mouth to protest, but was cut off.

"What's the worst that could happen?"

Unbidden, the image of Rolo nearly beheading Fritz in his attempt to perform his kata resurfaced from Cloud's memory. He sighed, rubbing his temples.

"Please?" Zack begged, folding his hands and jutting out his lower lip in a pout. "Pleasepleasepleaseplease_pleeeeeeease?"_

"Stop!" the cadet snapped. "Fine, I'll train with you."

Zack's face lit up, eyes popping open comically wide. "Really?" he squeaked. "Oh boy! This is gonna be so awesome! I'll meet you after your classes tomorrow, okay?"

"Sure... sounds great."

It wasn't that Cloud didn't want to be around Zack. He loved being friends with the Second, he really did. There were just some things Cloud had learned not to trust him around, and swords were one of those things. And as far as him actually being able to _teach_, well... Cloud had a feeling they wouldn't be getting a whole lot accomplished.

Putting his fork down, the cadet stood up from his chair. "I think I'm going to head back to my room," he said. "I need a nap."

"I'll walk you there," Zack offered, rising as well.

The two left the Mess and the Second rambled on about something Cloud wasn't really paying attention to. He was pretty close to falling asleep on his feet when a door opened just as he walked by and the person emerging smashed straight into him. A strong pair of arms caught him and he glanced up to see Genesis' bright cerulean eyes looking back at him.

Cloud's jaw moved soundlessly until words finally came to him. "Excuse me, sir."

The commander gazed at him steadily. "Excuse _me_, Cadet," he replied. "How is your hand?"

For a moment, Cloud couldn't figure out what he was talking about. Then he remembered Genesis had witnessed his altercation with Zol. "It's fine, sir."

"Good." The redhead looked like he wanted to say something else, but decided against it. Tilting his chin up ever so slightly, he moved away from them to continue down the hall. "Good day, Strife."

"You too," Cloud replied almost inaudibly.

As soon as Genesis was out of earshot, Zack turned on him. "Why was he asking about your hand?" the Second demanded. "What did he do to it?"

"Nothing, Zack. He didn't do anything to my hand. I..." Cloud hesitated, making a split second decision. "I accidentally got too close to one of the other boys during class and he hit me with his sword."

His friend's expression softened. "Ouch. You're really okay?"

"Yeah," he nodded. "I was wearing a glove."

Cloud felt a little guilty about not telling him about what had happened with Zol, but he reasoned with himself that Zack didn't necessarily _need_ to know. In light of recent events, he deserved the privacy. Had he really not noticed how _nosy_ Zack was before now? It was great being friends with a SOLDIER, but Cloud didn't want someone to hold his hand when he got bullied.

He needed that hand to hit the bullies with.

* * *

><p>Genesis lay on the couch, shirtless, staring up at the ceiling. Sephiroth had offered to spar with him that evening, but he'd declined. Talking with the general had given him new perspective, which the redhead was thankful for, but right now he just needed some time alone to think.<p>

He ran into Strife earlier. Fair had been with him, but that wasn't surprising anymore. Angeal's overactive protege talked about having lunch with his cadet friend every once and a while, and Strife had mentioned Zack once or twice. Not by name, of course, but Genesis knew knew that was who he had been referring to.

From what he could gather, it seemed that Fair viewed their relationship slightly differently than Strife did. Fair talked about the cadet as if he were a small child instead of a young man in training for the military. And while Strife hadn't given any indication he no longer wished to be friends with Fair, he didn't want to be seen as someone who needed protection all the time. The boy had pride, and he needed to accomplish things on his own in order to feel successful.

With a groan, Genesis rolled over and smashed his face into the leather cushion. The fact that he was laying there, dissecting the cadet's friendships, told him what he already knew in the back of his mind but hadn't yet been able to admit, even to himself.

He missed Cloud.

It had finally hit him that afternoon when he ran into Strife in the hallway. The realization had been so strong, he'd nearly said it out loud. And then as he walked away, the feeling of loss pulled at him like a dull ache.

He'd _liked_ training the cadet. The majority of the time he acted more frustrated with Strife than he actually was because in reality, every little bit of improvement made him happy. It meant he'd been right about him all along; he had a chance of making SOLDIER.

Very briefly he considered looking for a Third to take on as an apprentice, but knew he couldn't do that. Even if he _did_ find someone, it wouldn't be the same. Strife was different; Genesis liked him, and Genesis didn't like people.

"What on Gaia have you managed to get yourself into?" he muttered to himself.

* * *

><p><strong>DAY 11<strong>

"Alright Spiky, hold your sword up—No, not like that. Here, a _liiiiittle_ lower... Uh, well, that's good enough. Now show me what you've learned so far."

Cloud bit the inside of the lip, trying hard to remember the movements Instructor Davis had drilled them on that morning. He'd been towards the back of the group and hadn't been able to see very well, so he tried to copy off the cadets in front of him as best he could. There _had_ been a downward slice somewhere in there, hadn't there? The cadet swung his sword down, then belatedly remembered that, no, he was in fact supposed to _turn_here. He corrected himself, but his left boot accidentally caught on his right boot and he tripped. In a rather spastic manner, Cloud stumbled forward a few steps to try and catch his balance, flailing his arms as he went.

In retrospect, he was lucky he hadn't impaled himself on his sword with that little slip-up.

Where he with Crimson, Cloud would've needed a few moments to gather the courage to look over at the First. Crimson would undoubtedly shake his head and mutter something about tying his shoelaces together.

Zack, however, was on the floor, howling in laughter.

A blush crept up into the cadet's cheeks as he waited for the Second to calm down.

"I-I don't think tha... that was part of the kata," he snickered, pulling himself back to his feet.

Cloud forced a tight smile. "I didn't fall, though."

"Well done on the quick thinking there, Spiky," Zack teased. "You should probably try that again. Not that you need to practice it, or anything."

It was odd not to get yelled at for his mistakes, the cadet noted as he went through the kata again. Not that he liked getting yelled at or anything, but he'd grown accustomed to it. It made him feel infinitely more satisfying when he managed to squeeze even a tiny compliment out of Crimson.

"Well, I didn't see any tripping," Zack grinned when Cloud finished. "So that's good. I guess we can work on some stances or something."

The cadet sighed. Zack was great, but honestly, he missed Crimson.

* * *

><p>Cloud ducked back around the corner, praying they hadn't seen him. He cautiously peered back around. There in front of the elevator were Jadak, Yuza and Zol. A white bandage was over Zol's nose from where Cloud had broken it. And from the looks of things, he wasn't the only one in hot water with Jadak. Yuza leaned up against the wall, staring stubbornly down at the floor, while his younger brother paced back and forth in front of him.<p>

"When we left home, we promised Mother we'd stick together," he was saying. "That we'd all become SOLDIERs. _Together."_

Yuza flinched; a movement so subtle it was barely noticeable, but Cloud saw it all the same.

"Imagine how sad she'll be when she finds out one of us has decided to try and ditch the family." Jadak suddenly wheeled around and slammed his fist into the wall with such force that Cloud had to wonder if he didn't already have mako running in his system. "You're not seriously considering leaving us, are you Brother?"

Again, Yuza chose to remain silent.

_Tsk_ing in frustration, Jadak spun around again, facing his back to both his brothers. "_We_ are the future of SOLDIER," he continued. "But that can't happen unless _all_ of us join SOLDIER. Or perhaps you're content to let the future rest on the shoulders of people like Cloud Strife?"

Cloud opened his mouth to protest to that, but quickly stopped himself the moment he realized that would give away his hiding spot.

Zol gingerly touched his nose with his hand. "Brudder broke by dose..."

"And Brother will pay for that," Jadak ground out.

"As long as we bake him tell us how _his_ dose healed so fast," Zol grumbled.

Jadak laughed, turning around. "I've already figured _that_ one out," he said. "Only a Cure could heal a broken nose, and only a SOLDIER can use a Cure."

"So, Brother has a SOLDIER friend?" Yuza asked, speaking for the first time.

"Or a SOLDIER trainer," the youngest replied, fists clenching and unclenching at his sides. "And that's not fair at all, now is it?"

It was at that incredibly unfortunate moment that Zol happened to shake his head, then do a double-take to look over his shoulder.

Straight. At. Cloud.

"Hey!" he yelled. "Dere he is!"

Without any prompting from him, Cloud's body sprang into action and he bolted the opposite direction down the hallway. He knew he only had a few seconds before the boys caught up with him. Thinking quickly, the cadet darted into a nearby room and locked the door as soon as it was shut. He heard the thumping of boots out in the hall and confused voices as they attempted to locate him. Squeezing his eyes shut, Cloud tried to focus on getting his heartbeat to slow down.

Finally, it was quiet outside.

_BANG!_

Cloud jumped at the loud noise, and his eyes flew open. A blackened circle was smack dab in the middle of the glass pane in front of him. An observation area. He'd run into the observation area of a training room.

Curiosity got the better of him and he crept forward to see who was down there.

* * *

><p><em>RegenesisX<em>


	14. Chapter 14

**MAKING THE CUT**

_"It's unbearable... to think Mother would want Sephiroth more than..." ~ Kadaj_

Cloud peered down into the training room, then quickly skittered away.

No way.

Why did these things happen to him and only him?

Sucking in a deep breath, the cadet leaned forward again. Down below, Genesis Rhapsodos sliced off a few slimy tentacles from a bizarre-looking green monster that was all teeth and eyeballs. The monster roared, seeming more angry than hurt, and continued to advance on the commander, who leaped nimbly out of the range. Flames engulfed his closed fist and he flung his arm out, sending a glowing ball of light flying at the monster.

It was like watching a dance, Cloud realized. A lethal dance that involved sharp objects and death, but a dance nonetheless. Genesis was incredibly graceful, feet barely seeming to touch the ground as he dodged and attacked in rapid succession. The monster was a little more cumbersome, but its boneless tentacles still moved with a certain amount of fluidity as well.

The blond bit his bottom lip. He probably shouldn't be here, he knew, but was it even safe to go back outside yet? Jadak and his brothers could still be looking for him. No, it was best that he waited a little longer. Besides, he wasn't hurting anything, right? Sitting down on one of the chairs, Cloud settled himself in to watch.

Every once and a while, Genesis would pause a distance away from the monster and cast something on himself that made a giant runic figure appear on the floor beneath him. Cloud crinkled his brow, trying to recall what he'd read about materia in the book Yuza had taken. There were Cures, he knew, but what Genesis had done didn't look like a Cure. It looked more like some sort of protect spell.

The monster finally managed to slither far enough to trap the SOLDIER in a corner. Its wiggling tentacles blocked out either side and poison gas threatened to spill out of its giant mouth should he attempt to leap over it. Cloud leaned forward a little more, waiting with baited breath to see what the commander would do.

Genesis clenched his fist to his chest, and much to the cadet's utter _shock_, actually rose up off the floor. Electricity crackled around the redhead as his fist began to glow and three bright orbs surrounded by runes similar to those Cloud had seen earlier appeared before him. He made a sharp releasing motion with his hand and the three orbs collided together, then split apart again as giant fireballs. They exploded into the monster, sending it reeling backwards. It collapsed onto its back, tentacles twitching and foul breath leaking out of its mouth. It gave one last roar, then went still.

Cloud blinked, mouth agape.

That was _so_ cool.

* * *

><p>That night Cloud lay awake, listening to the sound of the other boys in his room snoring. It had been a long day; trying to avoid Jadak and Yuza—Zol hadn't been there—in combat class, his first lesson with Zack, stumbling upon Genesis in the training room. His body was tired, but his mind was restless. There were only seventeen days until his test. Seventeen days for him to shape up or ship out.<p>

If he passed, it was only because of the time he'd spent with Genesis. Two weeks ago, he wouldn't have even _known_ he was doing his pushups wrong. But even so, he was barely mediocre compared to some of the other cadets in his class. It was no contest between himself and Jadak—Jadak was the better SOLDIER candidate, no questions asked.

Sitting up as quietly as possible, Cloud reached under his bed. He groped blindly under his fingers closed around the spine of his notebook. Grabbing the flashlight he kept on his nightstand, the blond retreated beneath the covers, clicked on the light and flipped his notebook open.

Ever since he was little, he'd had a fascination with weaponry; swords in particular. He hadn't started drawing them until a few years ago, but it had quickly become his favorite hobby. Sketches of Sephiroth's famous sword, Masamune and other swords he'd seen around ShinRa filled the pages, as well as some of his own invented weapons. It was the one thing he was good at. Not that he's shown anyone at ShinRa. If the other cadets found out he liked drawing, they'd probably make fun of him and wreck his notebook.

Cloud turned to his most recent drawing, one of Genesis' sword. He'd started it after seeing it up close, working off of memory. After seeing it again today, the cadet had a new, fresh picture of it in his head. He erased part of the hilt—he'd made the wing-like designs a little too long.

With a sigh, the blond adjusted the flashlight. He still couldn't believe Crimson had turned out to be one of the top Firsts in the company. Even if it ended badly, he was still probably the only cadet in the history of ShinRa to have personally trained with a SOLDIER First. For the first time, Cloud found himself almost wishing he _hadn't_ found out about the bet. If Genesis really was _that_ determined, he was positive he would've passed the test.

Then maybe he wouldn't be here, wondering how the heck he was going to pass it on his own.

_There's always Zack,_ Cloud thought to himself, shading in part of the red blade.

Oh, Zack…

He meant well, the blond knew that, but there was a reason Genesis was a First and Zack was still a Second. Aside from that, his body type was drastically different from Zack's. While the SOLDIER was tall, broad-shouldered and could probably crush all the bones in someone's hand if he shook it too hard, Cloud was short and skinny. Genesis had once told him he'd tear his body to pieces if he attempted the bulldozer tactic most SOLDIERs used. And Zack bulldozed with the best of them.

Pursing his lips, Cloud set his pencil down to think.

He recalled the way he'd seen Genesis fight earlier, like a dancer, combining defense into his offense. If only there were some way…

The cadet sucked in a sharp breath.

SOLDIERs probably had blocks of time they were allotted the use of training rooms. If that was true, that meant Genesis would most likely be back there tomorrow at the same time. Cloud was out of his classes by then, so theoretically, he could sneak in again to watch.

It was a long shot, but it would be worth it if it worked.

* * *

><p><strong>Day 12<strong>

Cloud was practically running down the hallway after combat class. He found Zack waiting for him near the Mess and hastily apologized to the Second, telling him he had to finish a paper for class and wouldn't be able to eat lunch with him. After that, he'd rushed off to the ShinRa computer lab and tucked himself in the far corner of the room.

He'd lied to Zack, _again_, but he needed this time alone to do his own research.

Pulling up the Moogle search engine, Cloud typed in 'defensive materia' and clicked on the first link that came up. The website presented him with a list, so he started with the first entry, Barrier.

Evidently, barriers came in different levels too. Barrier protected against physical damage, MBarrier against magic, and Wall protected against both. Much to his delight, video demonstrations of the materia were available, but none of them looked anything like what Genesis had used yesterday.

"Hello, Brother."

Cloud gasped, nearly jumping out of his seat as he twisted around in his chair to see Yuza looming over his shoulder. A quick glance around revealed neither Jadak nor Zol were in sight, but he didn't know whether to be relieved or even more scared.

"Mind if I join you?" Yuza asked, tilting his head to one side.

"Uh, um, n-no," Cloud stammered.

The willowy cadet flopped himself down in the chair beside him, leaning back and throwing one ankle over his knee. It was a surprisingly casual pose for him, considering his normally ramrod posture.

Heart beating out of control, Cloud stared, speechless. Yuza had just sat down next to him. What was he supposed to do _now?_ Ignore him? "Um, what…" His voice died when the other cadet's sharp green eyes flashed over to him. "What are you, um, doing here?"

Yuza dropped his chin a little and strands of hair fell into his face, shadowing his expression. "Zol is out of class for a few days and Jadak is somewhere practicing," he replied, although not really answering the question.

"So you… came here?"

Shrugging a shoulder, he turned his head to look at Cloud fully. "What are _you_ doing here?"

"I-I, er…" Cloud glanced between the other cadet and his computer screen. "Research?"

Yuza leaned over to examine his 'research' more closely. "Brother is still playing SOLDIER, hm?" he teased, giving Cloud one of his vicious, barely-there smirks. He sat back in his chair again. "Or is Jadak right, and you're playing _with_ a SOLDIER?"

Panicked, he wracked his brain for a suitable answer.

"But that's none of my business," Yuza sighed, catching sight of his reflection in the black computer monitor in front of him and frowning.

"Is… um…" Cloud wrung his hands in his lap nervously, not even sure if he should ask. "Is Jadak mad at you? About something?"

The older boy hesitated a moment. "When things start to slip out of Jadak's control, he gets upset," he said, emotionless as ever. "If I were you, I'd worry more about _your_ skin than mine."

_Great_, Cloud inwardly rolled his eyes. As if training wasn't bad enough, he was still going to have to dodge Jadak in the midst of it all.

"Your shooting has gotten better," Yuza commented, almost offhandedly.

Blinking, Cloud glanced at him in surprise. Was that a compliment? "Th-thank you?"

"But you're still not very good," the older boy continued. "So here's a piece of friendly advice, _Brother_. Whatever you're planning on doing, stay away from Jadak. Because if he thinks you have an unfair advantage, he'll make sure you fail that test. No matter _who_ helped you."

And with that Yuza, stood up from his seat.

"See you around, Brother."

Cloud let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. He didn't know Jadak well, but he knew enough to know Yuza was right. There was no room for error— otherwise he'd be going back to Nibelheim a lot sooner than he thought. But he couldn't help the nagging feeling that he might already be too late.

* * *

><p><em>RegenesisX<em>


	15. Chapter 15

**MAKING THE CUT**

_"Alright, you talked me into it! We'll be a team!" ~ Fozzie Bear, The Muppet Movie_

Cloud cautiously poked his head out from the stairwell into the hallway. He'd bid Zack farewell a little over fifteen minutes ago and walked halfway back to barracks before turning around and sneaking upstairs again. He didn't think the Second had any reason to hang around the training rooms at this time of day, but with Zack one could never be too careful.

Once he'd deemed the area clear, the cadet darted out into the corridor. Notebook clutched to his chest, he hurried along the wall until he reached the observation room he'd unknowingly barged into yesterday and cracked the door open, praying to the Goddess no one was in it.

Praying Genesis wasn't in there changing his equipment, because if that happened, Cloud was pretty sure he would just _die_ on the spot.

The room, much to his relief, was empty. Sliding the door open all the way, he slipped inside and closed it behind him. He turned towards the tinted glass window, sucking in a deep breath and trying not to dwell on the possibility of Genesis not being down there. Because if that were the case, he wasn't sure _what_ he was going to do.

Stubbornly shaking his doubts away, Cloud boldly strode over to the window and… and blinked in confusion, because Genesis was indeed down there, but there were two of him.

The cadet squeezed his eyes shut, wondering if he were hallucinating, but when he opened them again, both Genesises were still there. And unless the commander had somehow figured out a way to clone himself, Cloud was pretty sure this wasn't possible. Or was one of them a simulation?

Practically smashing his nose against the glass, the blond scrutinized each Genesis carefully. Both of them looked exactly identical—same hair, same eyes, same coat, same sword. ShinRa technology was good.

Genesis One lunged at Genesis Two, who agilely back-flipped out of the way. Cloud watched as Genesis Two counter attacked almost immediately after landing, striking at Genesis One with his long red blade. One blocked it, summoning flames into his hand as he pulled back. Squinting, the cadet tried to determine which was the fake.

One released what Cloud recognized as a Firaga attack and Two launched himself into the air again to avoid it. Even before he landed again, Two was countering, flinging a brightly glowing orb at One. One jerked to a halt for a split second, as if registering the new attack, then quickly ducked out of the way.

And just like that, Cloud knew Genesis One was the simulation.

There was _no way_ the real Genesis would just freeze like that.

Having solved the conundrum, the cadet hastily sat down and flipped open his notebook to a blank page. As he scribbled down observations about Genesis' form, strategies, and materia usage, it became more and more obvious that Genesis Two was indeed the commander. He was just so much more fluid than the simulation. Each movement flowed into the next—there was no stopping to analyze and recalculate his enemy's position and attacks as the computer had to. And while ShinRa's computers were impressively fast, they were really no match for a live SOLDIER First.

A smile crept onto Cloud's face when one of the simulation's swings narrowly missed hitting the commander and he shouted something at the other, most likely a string of curses.

Yep, definitely Genesis.

* * *

><p>"I think I'm going to ask Lazard to ship me out."<p>

"I'm going with you."

Genesis glanced away from _LOVELESS_ long enough to shoot Sephiroth a glare. "I'm perfectly capable of handling a mission on my own," he snapped testily.

"I know you are," the general amended. "I just thought that in light of what's happened, you could use the company."

"You just want to keep an eye on me. Make sure I don't end up doing something stupid."

Sephiroth raised one silver eyebrow. "Would you?"

Sighing, the redhead dropped his book into his lap. "Probably," he grumbled, raking a hand through his hair. "I don't know what the hell I'm doing anymore."

"Could this sudden urge to leave have anything to do with Strife?"

"Would you stop it?" Genesis blurted.

"Stop what?"

"Bringing him up!" The commander slapped _LOVELESS_ onto the table and stood up, beginning to pace back and forth in front of the coffee table. "It's like you've got this weird fixation on him or something and it's getting on my nerves."

The leather on the couch creaked as Sephiroth leaned back. "I only keep bringing him up because you seem to be missing the point," he said. "The past few days you've been trying to 'clear your head' or 'distract yourself,' but what you aren't doing is admitting you have a problem."

"I don't have a problem!" Genesis shouted despite himself.

Sephiroth gave him a surprisingly condescending look that was eerily reminiscent of Angeal.

"I _don't,"_ he insisted. "I was an idiot to take the bet, I'll admit that. But there's nothing I can do about it now."

"You could apologize to Strife."

His stride faltered.

_Apologize?_

Genesis didn't know how to respond. Yes, perhaps he'd hurt the boy saying what he did, but apologize? To a subordinate? To a _cadet?_ It was almost unthinkable.

And yet…

…Perhaps Cloud deserved it.

"Get out," he barked then, at Sephiroth's affronted look, added, "I need to think."

The general rose from the couch. "Does this _thinking_ involve getting drunk and calling me in the middle of the night because you lost one of your can openers?"

Scowling, Genesis crossed his arms. "Shut up," he growled. "_My soul, corrupted by vengeance, hath endured torment to find the end of the journey in my own salvation and your eternal slumber."_

"Is that supposed to be a threat?"

"Do you want to find out?"

Sephiroth crossed the living room and paused at the door. "Angeal never meant to hurt you, Genesis," he said suddenly.

A scoff escaped past the redhead's lips. "I know."

* * *

><p><strong>DAY 13<strong>

If Cloud hadn't been in the process of tying his boot as he was scrambling out the door of his room, he might not have seen it. Dropping his laces, he reached over to grab the book and straightened up. It was _the_ book.

The one Yuza had taken.

Glancing around the empty hall, the blond wondered how it had gotten here. He turned it over in his hands, inspecting it for damage, but the library sticker was the only thing that was missing. A _plop!_ noise reached his ears and he glanced down to see that a piece of paper had fallen out of the book. Picking it up, he unfolded it only to find that it was a note.

_Interesting read, but I think you could use it more than I can._

Cloud blinked in surprise. Had Yuza given the book _back?_ Why would he do that? Yesterday in the computer lab had just been a fluke, right? Yuza wasn't _really_ being nice to him.

He was suddenly hit with the memory of combat class a few days ago, when Instructor Davis asked how many of them wanted to be in SOLDIER and Yuza hadn't raised his hand. If the conversation he'd overhead the other day was anything to go by, the other cadet really _didn't_ want to be in SOLDIER and Jadak was terribly upset about that. It made sense, then, that Yuza wouldn't have any use for a book on materia, but why give it back to him?

Sliding the note back into the book, Cloud ducked back into his room. He stuffed the book under his pillow, finished tying his boot, then headed into the hallway.

At combat class, Cloud couldn't help noticing that Yuza was ignoring him.

Zol was still absent, but the loss of his brute strength didn't render the other two any less intimidating. One kid thought he could get away with knocking Jadak around yesterday and this morning he'd shown up on crutches to tell Instructor Davis he wouldn't be attending class until his leg healed.

Either way, Yuza stayed glued to his younger brother's side the whole class. Surprisingly Jadak didn't seem adverse to this, and Cloud found himself half-hoping whatever was going on between the two of them had been resolved. This did, however, make it difficult for him to pick up any hints about why Yuza had given him _Materia_ back though.

Many pushups, sit-ups, laps, drills, shots, and sword swings later, Cloud was finally dragging himself up to meet Zack for lunch.

But Zack was not alone, it seemed.

Some guy with shockingly red hair and a pair of goggles perched on the top of his head was with him.

"Cloudy!" Zack exclaimed when he saw him. The SOLDIER frantically waved his arms, as if Cloud hadn't heard him shout, and called, "Come sit!"

The cadet made his way over and sat down across from Zack, nervously eyeing the redhead.

"Spiky, this is Reno," Zack said. "He's a Turk. Reno, this is Cadet Cloud Strife."

Reno grinned lazily, a friendly gesture that eased Cloud's anxiety somewhat. "I guess I owe you five gil, Fair," he chuckled. "Kid really _is _a chocobo."

The cadet's positive feelings towards the Turk did a quick one-eighty. "Nice to meet you too," he grumbled, glaring at Zack.

"Aw, don't be like that, Spiky."

"I ain't knockin' the look, yo," Reno added with a shrug. "If you can get past the bird resemblance, it's actually kinda badass."

Cloud wasn't sure whether he wanted to take that as a compliment or not.

"Besides," the Turk continued, "isn't it like a prerequisite for SOLDIERs to have weird hair?"

Hands flying to his head, Zack gave Reno a horrified look. "Hey! What's that supposed to mean?"

Reno eyed his spiky black hair. "I mean, does it do that naturally or do you gel it?"

"It—I, well…" Zack trailed off. "Okay, I guess some of us have weird hair."

Cloud wanted to point out that Reno was one to talk, considering his own crazy, fluorescent hairdo, but decided maybe it was better if he just stayed quiet.

"But seriously, c'mon. We have Sephiroth to aspire to," the Second pointed out. "No one is ever going to be able to beat knee-length, silver hair."

"Commander Rhapsodos doesn't have weird hair," Cloud muttered, not really looking at the other two at the table.

Zack was silent, but Reno laughed. "Maybe not, yo, but he makes up for it in other ways," the Turk chuckled.

The cadet desperately wanted to ask what he meant by that, but for the sake of Zack, kept his mouth shut. An awkward silence descended upon the table. Then something caught Reno's eye and he started to rise.

"Look, yo, I've gotta go," he said quickly. "I'll catch up with ya later, Fair. Nice meetin' ya, Cloud."

And then he was gone.

"I didn't know you knew any Turks," Cloud commented, glancing around the Mess. It was like Reno had magic powers of invisibility. Maybe it was a Turk thing.

Zack shrugged. "Eh, I think they're all a little sketchy, but Reno's a nice guy once you get to know him. Soooo…" He leaned forward on his elbows and templed his fingers. "How was your morning?"

_Weird things out of my control have started happening again. Trying to figure out whether or not Yuza is going to lull me into a false sense of security before torturing and killing me. And by the way, I've started spying on Genesis._

Yeah.

"Oh, the usual," Cloud replied.

* * *

><p>"Having fun, Brother?"<p>

With a startled yelp, Cloud dropped his notebook and whipped around. Behind him stood Yuza, looking darkly amused at his reaction. A small slice of his brain hoped Genesis hadn't heard him yell, but the rest of him was too paralyzed to panic about that.

"Wh-what are…? How did… you… I-I-I…" he stammered, unable to form a full coherent sentence.

Yuza did his disembodied chuckle, tilting his head to the right. "What?" he said. "Not expecting company?"

"N-n-no," he replied, swallowing the lump that had formed in his throat. He tried to take deeper breaths to keep himself from hyperventilating and passing out, but the longer Yuza stood there looking at him, the harder it got. "I, I mean…"

"Hiding something, Brother?" the older cadet asked, moving closer. Catlike green eyes quickly scanned the training room below. "Hmph. Is the Commander a friend of yours?"

Cloud inwardly flinched. "No," he shook his head. "N-no, he's not."

"Then what are _you_ doing here, Brother?" Yuza asked, turning to look at him.

"I…" What was he supposed to say now? "How do I know I can trust you?" he blurted.

Yuza laughed again and shivers went down Cloud's spine. "Your swordsmanship isn't anywhere near good enough for Jadak to get suspicious," he said. "If he were more concerned about your sneaking around, he'd be here questioning you, wouldn't he?"

When Cloud thought about it, he supposed that was true. If Jadak had caught wind of him getting anywhere _near_ a SOLDIER in a training room, he'd be there, personally interrogating him. Because, honestly, Jadak was much better at interrogation than Yuza or Zol.

"The day you vanished from combat class," Yuza said, interrupting his thoughts. "Was it to go train with him?" He motioned down at Genesis.

Biting his bottom lip, Cloud nodded.

"Hm." Yuza folded his arms. "You're not anymore, though. Why?"

"It's um… it's a long story," Cloud replied, voice barely above a whisper.

A pregnant silence stretched on for several moments. Cloud fussed with the hem of his shirt while Yuza remained motionless, staring down into the training room. Genesis was oblivious, working hard to dispatch simulation monsters.

"I was asked to join the Turks."

Cloud glanced up at Yuza, surprised. "What?"

"Last week, one of them was watching me in class," he continued. "He said they could use someone like me. That's why Jadak is angry. He wants the family to stay together."

Awkwardly rubbing his shoulder, Cloud was torn between feeling bad for Yuza and not _wanting_ to feel bad for him. "Oh. Um, I, uh, think you'd make a pretty good Turk."

Yuza snorted. "Better Turk than SOLDIER."

"Can't you just tell Jadak that?" Cloud asked. "That you'd rather be a Turk?"

A shadow passed over the older boy's face. "I couldn't do that to him," he murmured quietly. "Your turn, Brother."

He sucked in a deep breath and squeezed his eyes shut for a few seconds. "I was part of a bet," he confessed. "General Sephiroth bet Commander Rhapsodos that he couldn't help me pass that test. But no one told me about it. I… I thought he really wanted to help me, but I guess he just wanted to prove himself to the general."

Yuza gave him a look suspiciously close to pity. "Hm," he hummed absently.

"But… I think I can kind of understand that." He turned his gaze to Genesis, watching as the red-haired First thrust his sword into the belly of an oncoming monster. "I know what it's like to constantly feel the need to measure up. It sucks."

Much to his surprise, Cloud felt his throat constrict and a few tears leaked from his eyes. Once they started, they didn't stop.

"And now I don't know what to do," he choked out. "There's no way I'm going to be able to pass that test on my own. I'm going to fail and then I'm going to be sent back home. Gaia, I'm so _worthless."_

"You're not."

Teary-eyed, Cloud looked owlishly up at Yuza.

"You're not worthless," the other cadet said, deadly serious. "If you base your worth on the expectations of other people, you're never going to be happy." He sighed and closed his eyes. "You and I are far from being friends, Brother. But I don't think a little sparring match between enemies ever hurt anything."

Cloud paused as he was wiping his tears. Was he…?

"In fact, I might be around after class tomorrow," Yuza said as airily as his monotone could get. "Of course my skill level is infinitely high than yours, but who knows? Perhaps you might learn a thing or two."

He watched, speechless, as one of his sworn enemies turned away and began to exit the observation area. "Wait!" he cried, jumping up from his chair.

When Yuza glanced back over his shoulder, whatever Cloud was about to say flew out the window.

"Uh… uh-um… Th-thank you," he finally managed to squeak.

That familiar dark smile crossed Yuza's face, followed by a mysterious laugh as he looked away and left the room.

Cloud slumped back into his chair, feeling like he'd just made a deal with the devil.

Perhaps he had.

* * *

><p><em>"You've reached Angeal Hewley. I can't come phone right now, so please leave a message and I'll return your call."<em>

_"Angeal… It's Genesis. And before you think anything, _yes_, I'm drunk, but this isn't one of those calls. I thought about calling you when I was sober but that freaked me out too much, so I figured since I usually do stupid things when I'm drunk, this would be a better time. … That was a joke. Anyway, I have something I need to say… I'm selfish. I'm a selfish, arrogant, egotistical, conceited bastard who can't even say what he _really_ needs to say even after drinking himself into a stupor in order to say what he needs to say. But you're my best friend, Angeal. Always have been, always will be. I know you understand me better than everyone else, and that's why I'm praying to the Goddess you'll understand when I tell you that I'm too proud to apologize to you. Minerva be with you, 'Geal."_

* * *

><p><em>RegenesisX<em>


	16. Chapter 16

**MAKING THE CUT**

_"Look what Brother was hiding..." ~ Kadaj_

**DAY 14**

_Bathumpbathumpbathumpbathump ._

Cloud's heart was pounding and his hands were shaking. Last night had been sleepless—filled with thinking and rethinking his decision of whether or not to meet Yuza. Jadak hadn't bothered him at all in class, leading him to believe Yuza hadn't told him anything about Genesis, but it brought little comfort. If he went, he ran the risk of increasing the chances of Jadak finding out. If he didn't go, what would Yuza think of him? Would he be offended Cloud turned down the offer, an offer Yuza was _never_ going to make again?

Clutching his stomach, the blond leaned against the wall and slid down to sit. He'd skipped breakfast and, with the way he was feeling now, he probably wasn't going to keep any lunch down.

What was the worst that could happen?

Both Yuza and Jadak could be lying in wait for him and they'd turn him inside out.

Or maybe Yuza honestly wanted to help him.

Cloud groaned, burying his face in his hands. He supposed he could always drag himself to Zack if things went badly. The Second would be more than willing to help. In fact, he'd probably go after Jadak and Yuza himself if that happened.

Sucking in a deep breath, he picked himself up off the floor and, before he could change his mind, forced his feet to take him back into the training room.

Inside, Yuza was there waiting for him.

"I was starting to wonder if you would show up," the willowy blond commented.

Cloud shrugged, fiddling with his glove. "I didn't know if I was going to show up," he admitted.

"Hmph," Yuza scoffed. He took a few steps closer. "I suppose I'm glad you could make it. Maybe you don't know, Brother, but I don't appreciate rude people."

Laughing nervously, Cloud tried to swallow the lump in his throat. "I, uh, I didn't think so."

Without warning, Yuza suddenly threw a punch. Cloud shrieked, but was unable to flinch out of the way fast enough to avoid being knocked to the ground. He stared up the older boy, startled, eyes wide.

"You're going to have to do better than that, Brother," Yuza said, tittering to himself.

Cloud rolled away as fast as he possibly could to dodge the incoming boot and scrambled back to his feet. There was no time for him to even think about what to do next because Yuza was already taking another swing at him. Utterly panicked and shaking in his uniform, Cloud forced his body into high gear, trying hard to keep distance between himself and Yuza. It wasn't long before he found himself on the ground again.

And to think, earlier he'd been worried about _Jadak_ being there to beat him up. How very silly of him. Yuza was doing a perfectly good job of it on his own. And even though Cloud realized this _was_ his way of helping him, he knew deep down Yuza was secretly enjoying this.

At one point, after having felled him for the sixth or seventh time, he'd sighed and said, "You can hit back, you know."

That was where Yuza was wrong. Cloud tried, he really did, but he just _couldn't_ land a hit on the older boy. Yuza was fast and had reflexes like lightning. He was also incredibly agile, able to backflip out of the way as if it were nothing. How he managed to do it in those boots, Cloud could only wonder.

Wincing as his head banged against the floor, he decided he preferred Zack's method of training over Yuza's. Not that it wasn't effective—he was already starting to see what it was that made Yuza such a tough hand-to-hand combatant—he just didn't enjoy getting his ass handed to him. It already happened to him on a regular enough basis outside of training that he didn't think he could take it _in_ class as well.

The sudden memory of his first day with Genesis, when he'd been pelted with tennis balls, resurfaced in his mind.

Well… Bruises would heal, wouldn't they?

Picking himself up off the ground, Cloud assumed his fighting stance and they began again.

* * *

><p>"Well, I don't really have anything that requires two Frists…"<p>

"I'm not _asking_ to be sent to war, Director. I just want to get out of Midgar as soon as possible.

Lazard leaned his elbows on his desk, glancing from Genesis to Sephiroth and back again. "Angeal is taking care of our most pressing engagement," he said. "Other than that, there are only trivial matters."

"Trivial is more than acceptable, sir," Sephiroth said quietly, giving Genesis a warning glance.

The redhead folded his arms across his chest. Sephiroth still insisted on accompanying him and had been waiting at his door when he left his apartment to go see Director Lazard. In a way, though, he was glad. Waking up that morning and remembering his call to Angeal last night had left a funny taste in his mouth. He felt wrong, out of character. It was a change he needed to make, but it was uncomfortable. At least with Sephiroth there, he'd know he wasn't alone.

"Is everything alright?" Lazard suddenly asked. "Angeal seemed a little upset when he left, and you two don't look much better off."

A few heartbeats of silence passed as Sephiroth shifted and Genesis refused to meet either his or the Director's gaze. When he realized the general wasn't going to say anything, the redhead opened his mouth. "Just a personal matter, sir," he responded flatly. "It's being cleared up."

Lazard frowned, adjusting his glasses. "I see," he muttered. "Frankly, I hope it clears up quickly for your sake. The company can't afford for you to be needlessly distracted."

"We understand, Director," Sephiroth sighed.

"I suppose," Lazard continued, shuffling a few papers on his desk, "that I have something you can take care of. There have been reports of monsters venturing too close to Kalm for the town's comfort. I was planning to send a few Seconds out there, but if you two would rather take the mission…"

"Yes," Genesis interjected. "We'll take it."

Running a white-gloved hand over his hair, the Director shook his head. "You leave day after tomorrow."

A weight lifted itself off the commander's shoulders and he actually managed a smile at Lazard. "Thank you, sir."

As they took their leave from the Director's office, Genesis couldn't help the slight bounce in his step. In two days, he'd be out of the ShinRa building, out of _Midgar,_ killing monsters. It was a welcome break in the monotonous cycle of eat, train, and brood he'd been stuck in.

"Are you happy now?" Sephiroth asked, pushing the down button on the elevator.

"Not happy," he said, "but close enough."

* * *

><p>About halfway through his second class in the afternoon, Cloud realized he'd completely forgotten to tell Zack he wasn't going to be eating lunch with him. Of course, he hadn't committed to meeting Yuza until the last minute, but still. He could've at least given him a call to let him know he might not be there, even if he didn't tell him anything more than that. Thus Cloud spent the entire rest of his afternoon wallowing in his guilt. As soon as classes were finished for the day, he hurried as fast as his sore body would let him up to the training room where he and Zack usually practiced.<p>

"Zack!" he called, catching sight of the Second down the hall. The SOLDIER bid goodbye to whoever he was talking to and turned to meet him. "I'm so sorry I wasn't at lunch," Cloud apologized breathlessly. "I just had this thing I promised someone I'd do and I _totally_ forgot…"

The brunet lifted his hands. "Hey," he chuckled, "it's fine."

Cloud blinked. "You're not mad at me?"

"Why would I be mad?"

"Well, I mean, I missed lunch and I didn't let you know ahead of time…"

Shaking his head, Zack folded his arms. "Rrrrright. Because you know I'd come after you with a metal bat if you don't eat with me," he snorted. "Your overreacting is cute, though."

The cadet smiled sheepishly, cheeks heating up.

"Now that you're _here_," Zack said, "you wanna go swing some swords around?"

In all honesty, Cloud really _didn't_ want to swing swords around. He was bruised and exhausted and all he wanted to do was curl up underneath his covers and sleep for a day and a half. But he forced himself to nod and follow Zack into the training room anyway.

Training went wall, all things considered, but every once and a while, Cloud was taken by the urge to look around. He didn't know why—the walls weren't very interesting to look at and every time he did, Zack would take advantage of his distraction to land a good hit on his sword. Something was wrong, though.

A sudden shiver ran down the blond's spine as he glanced over his shoulder. Was someone watching him?

* * *

><p>Genesis swore under his breath, then again more loudly, as the Guard Scorpion's tail suddenly lashed out at him, crackling with electricity. He glared at the metal monster, flinging a bout of Firaga at it. They exploded into its shell, leaving little more than blackened scorch marks.<p>

_Why_ hadn't he thought to bring Electricity with him? Or at least Tri-Thunder. Hell, even an unmastered Thunder would have been more useful that what he'd equipped. Not that Firaga and Flare wouldn't eventually do the job, it just meant that he'd have to spend extra time dodging its giant robotic appendages and trying not to get electrocuted by its EM field.

"That's it," he growled, raising his sword. "You're—" he swept underneath the Scorpion and stabbed Rapier through its hull, "—finished!"

He neatly rolled out from underneath the sparking, twitching robot just in time for it to collapse into a heap on the training room floor. The simulation fizzled out and faded, leaving no traces of its obnoxious presence behind. Turing towards the stairs to the observation deck, Genesis began pulling materia out of his weapon.

He distinctly remembered deciding what kind of sim monster to fight before choosing his materia. _What_ had he been thinking? Clearly, he hadn't been.

When he threw open the observation room door, he was immediately aware of something being different. His eyes zeroed in on a plain yellow notebook sitting innocently on the control board in front of the window. Moving over to examine it, Genesis couldn't help but glance around. No one else appeared to be in the room and he was fairly certain it hadn't been there when he'd first entered the room. He flipped open the cover and froze.

There, in the upper left hand corner of the inside of the cover were the words: _Cloud Strife._

Questions flew through his mind faster than he could come up with answers and he forced himself to stop. He couldn't make any assumptions. Making assumptions led to negative consequences. But why? Why, then, was Cloud Strife's notebook sitting in the observation room unless Cloud Strife himself had brought it there? What was he doing _here_, of all places?

Pursing his lips, Genesis threw the notebook in with his things. He was done with training for the day. If Strife wanted his notebook back, he'd have to come and get it himself.

And then Genesis would get his answers.

* * *

><p>Panting, Cloud threw himself against the wall. Gaia but that had been <em>way <em>too close. If his shoelace hadn't ripped free from where it had gotten caught underneath the control board when it did, he would've been more toast than that robot. Thank Minerva he'd been able to escape in time. He'd have to lay low for a few days, just to make sure Genesis didn't catch on. In the meantime, he could just use the notes he'd—

Where was his notebook?

"No!" he squeaked, staring at his empty hands in horror.

How could he have _forgotten his notebook?_ There was no way Genesis would miss it; it was bright yellow, sitting right out in the open! Dear Goddess, now he was DOOMED! The commander was going to find him and gut him when he realized he'd been spying on him.

"What am I supposed to do _now?"_ he muttered to himself. Gaia, he was so stupid.

With a heavy sigh, Cloud pulled himself back to his feet. He supposed now was as good a time as ever to go spill his guts to Zack. The Second would probably be a little miffed that he was still clinging to Genesis, but maybe he'd have some helpful insight as to how he could avoid prematurely meeting his end. Or at least Zack could hide him while they came up with a plan.

The blond dragged himself to the stairwell and lethargically began his descent back to the barracks' floor. When he reached the first landing and turned the corner, he yelped and skittered backwards because there were Jadak, Yuza, and Zol.

"Hello, Brother," Jadak greeted, climbing the few steps it took for him to get up to the landing. His brothers followed suit. "Did you have fun playing with your SOLDIER friend?"

Swallowing, Cloud's glance flitted between the three of them. "I-I don't know what you're talking about," he said weakly. He gasped in pain when Jadak suddenly slammed him back against the wall.

"I think you know _exactly_, what I'm talking about, Cloud," the other cadet growled, actually calling him by his name.

His eyes flew instinctively to Yuza, but the willowy cadet just blinked stonily, giving away nothing. "J-Jadak, I-I—" Cloud began stammering.

Jadak's grip tightened on his shirt. "I _saw_ you with that SOLDIER today." His voice cracked, thickly laced with emotion. "Don't even bother trying to deny it."

Eyes growing wide, Cloud suddenly realized what had happened. All this time he'd been worried about Jadak finding out about Commander Rhapsodos and he'd _seen_ him training with Zack today! He'd been so paranoid about Yuza telling Jadak about Genesis that he hadn't even thought to be more careful when going to see Zack.

"And I don't know about you," Jadak went on, "but I don't think it's _fair_ to get outside help for the exam. I think you should be taught _another_ lesson."

"Jadak," Yuza interjected softly, much to everyone's surprise.

Wheeling around, Jadak pinned his older brother with a heated glare. "Don't _agree,_ Yuza?" he questioned.

For a moment Cloud thought he might actually stand up for him, but Yuza just tilted his head and dropped his gaze.

"Tch," Jadak scoffed. "Just to make sure, why don't _you_ do the honors?"

Zol chuckled. "Don't play nice, Yuza," he added.

Shooting him an ugly look, Yuza brushed past Jadak to grab hold of Cloud. Cloud stared up at him, his blue eyes watering.

"Please," he whispered. _Don't do this, please don't do this…_

The taller cadet gazed down at him void of emotion. "Don't cry, Cloud," he said.

Cloud sucked in a sharp breath.

Leaning down, Yuza murmured softly into his ear. _"I'm sorry."_

Then he brought his knee up into Cloud's stomach.

* * *

><p>Genesis left the observation room a few minutes later than he'd intended. He'd gathered his things, then mulled over the idea of calling Angeal, but decided against it since his friend still hadn't called back yet. Very briefly, he considered calling Sephiroth, but the general would probably just tell him what he was already half-hoping was the case.<p>

That Strife was still having trouble in class and had decided to get help, however indirectly, from him again.

The redhead bypassed the elevator, rarely having the patience to wait around for them in a building with as many floors as the ShinRa building. Aside from that, he was only a few floors up from his apartment.

He stopped at the top of the stairs, blood running cold.

Because there, in a crumpled, bloody heap, lay Cloud Strife.

* * *

><p><em>RegenesisX<em>


	17. Chapter 17

**MAKING THE CUT**

_"We're friends, right?" ~ Zack Fair_

Reflexively tightening his hand around the hilt of his sword, Genesis sucked in a sharp breath.

And he _remembered_.

He remembered all the times he'd lost his temper at an innocent subordinate who couldn't execute the same sword parry when he'd just finished demonstrating for the fifth time or who'd called him something other than his name or who'd looked at him funny on a bad day. They'd never mattered before. He _smiled_ when they limped off to the infirmary.

But he wasn't smiling now. Rage boiled deep inside him because he _cared._ Before, it had only been about himself, but this wasn't about him. This had nothing to do with him. Someone had hurt Cloud and, pride be damned, he cared about Cloud.

Descending the stairs, Genesis knelt down beside the unconscious boy. Whoever mangled him did a damn good job, that was for certain. He carefully gathered the cadet in his arms and picked him up. With a sigh, he turned and headed down the next flight of stairs.

Cloud didn't stir during the journey back to his apartment. Genesis laid him down on the couch, then instinctively headed for the bathroom to fetch a Cure. Halfway back into the living room, he stopped.

_I said next time he got hurt, I wasn't going to do anything about it_.

"Damn it," Genesis growled under his breath, forcing his feet to keep going. Now he was just being stubborn. It didn't matter what he'd said before; Cloud needed his help and he was going to be there for him. He sat down on the coffee table and reached out a hand towards the boy, then withdrew it.

What if Cloud didn't _want_ his help?

Biting his bottom lip, Genesis rolled the Cure around in his hands. It was obvious the cadet wanted to get through this on his own. Even if he _had_ been watching him train, that might just mean Cloud was being resourceful. It didn't mean he suddenly wanted Genesis to be training him again.

But what the hell was he supposed to do in that case? Throw Cloud back out into the hallway for someone else to find?

The blond made a soft noise, face contorting in discomfort.

He didn't think so.

With a sharp sigh, Genesis gripped Cloud's upper arm and cast Cure before he could change his mind again. The materia glowed softly at first, then flashed as it washed over the cadet, erasing the bruises and knitting cut skin back together. As soon as the glow faded, Genesis was pitching the materia across the room. He stood up and angrily swept off to his bedroom again. Pausing in the doorway, he cast a glance back over his shoulder.

He would fix this.

Somehow, he would fix this.

* * *

><p>"Why did you make me do that, Jadak?"<p>

"Do what?"

Yuza shot his younger brother a look. "You know what."

Rolling his eyes, Jadak sat up on his bed. "You know _why_," he snapped. "That pesky idiot had it coming."

"Because he's friends with a SOLDIER?" Yuza asked.

"It isn't fair that he's been getting help all this time." Jadak punched the mattress. "And all the rest of us are stuck with that imbecile, Davis."

"Hm," the eldest hummed. "All the rest of us, or you?"

"Excuse me?"

Yuza swung his legs over the edge of his bed. "If it were _you_ who had a private instructor, would you still think it was unfair?"

There was a pause while Jadak soundlessly moved his jaw. "At least that would make _sense_," he finally spat.

"And for Cloud, it doesn't?" Yuza questioned, tilting his head.

"Brother isn't even going to make it into SOLDIER," he replied, "so there's no point in wasting time on _him_. It could be better put to use on cadets like us, who actually have talent."

_Us._ There was that word again. "So you don't think it would be unfair?"

"Tch. It's not about being _fair,_ it's about making sure the ones that _deserve_ to succeed, do."

In truth, Yuza had kept his eye on Cloud far longer than just the past few days. Ever since he'd returned from vanishing that first week, there had been a change in him. Determination that hadn't been there before. He was still easy to intimidate, but where his training was concerned, he was going to get where he wanted to go, if only by sheer willpower alone.

"So you're saying Cloud doesn't deserve to succeed," he said.

"He shouldn't have even been accepted into the program."

Yuza scoffed. "Not _everyone_ has been training their whole lives for this, Jadak," he commented. "Some people have to work to get what they want."

Jadak's whole body went stiff and his gaze turned stony. "And you think I don't?" he snapped angrily. "You think I haven't worked and slaved and bled to get where I am? To get _us_ where _we_ are? Do you know what it's like to see the things _I_ deserve get handed to other people?"

"Cloud Strife has had to work twice as hard to get halfway to where you are," Yuza shot back. "And you jump at every opportunity you can to try and take it away from him. He's worked and slaved and bled just as much as you have."

"Whose side are you _on_, Yuza? I thought we were all going to do this together!"

Jumping down from the top bunk, Yuza stalked over to the other side of the room. "_No_, Jadak," he hissed. "We're doing what _you_ want."

The youngest's green eyes narrowed, giving away nothing. "That's not true."

"Yes, it is," Yuza insisted, nearly laughing aloud at the stupidity of it all. "Have you ever once asked Zol or I what _we_ wanted?"

"Of course I—"

"No! You haven't. You've never asked us." He shook his head, folding his arms tightly across his chest. "You don't want Cloud and I becoming friends."

Jadak got up as well, beginning to pace. "_Why_ would you even want to?"

"Because I've had enough of you."

His younger brother froze and stared, horrified. "Y-You… what?"

"I'm sick of you, Jadak," he repeated, turning towards the door to leave. "Maybe there was a reason Mother never liked you best."

* * *

><p><strong>DAY 15<strong>

Cloud's eyes flew open with a startled gasp. He bolted upright, then groaned and pressed a hand to his forehead when his vision swam. Closing his eyes again, he took a few deep breaths to calm himself.

Fragments of memories blurred into nightmares and he couldn't determine how much of it was reality and how much was imagination. He was certain of one thing, though: all of it was terrifying. Fighting for what could quite literally have become his life. If it had been up to his dream, perhaps he might have escaped unscathed by some bizarre miracle, but he remembered the pain. Part of it was real. He and Yuza had fought, he'd fought back and he'd lost.

When he lifted his head out of his hands, he took in his surroundings and realized with a jolt that he wasn't in the stairwell anymore. He wasn't in his dorm, and he wasn't even in the infirmary. If he didn't know better, he'd say he was in Commander Rhapsodos' apartment. On his couch.

But that was impossible, right? How on Gaia had he gotten _here_ of all places?

A piece of paper on the coffee table caught his eye and he picked it up, reading the words written in a neat script.

_Strife—_

_I requested some of your clothes from your barracks. Feel free to take a shower and clean yourself up, then come down to my office when you're able. –Genesis Rhapsodos_

Cloud blinked.

A pile of his clothes sat innocently on the other end of the coffee table.

Aside from the fact that he was a little mortified that Genesis may possibly have touched his underwear, why would the Commander have gone through all the trouble? Even if he _had_ been the one to find him after Jadak, Yuza and Zol had left, why not just dump him on the infirmary's doorstep? That would've certainly been less work for the SOLDIER.

Unless he had some sort of ulterior motive, which wouldn't come as much of a surprise. Genesis didn't _do_ things simply because he felt like it. There was always a reason, no matter how petty.

Standing up from the couch and grabbing his clothes, Cloud headed off to the bathroom. He closed and locked the door—there was always that tiny fear that Genesis would come back for whatever reason—and turned on the water in the shower. As he removed his clothes, he couldn't help but notice that while blood was still splattered here and there, he didn't seem to have any cuts or bruises. Which didn't make any sense, because if he recalled correctly, Yuza was the one who kicked _his_ butt, and not the other way around.

Genesis kept a ridiculous amount of hair products in his shower, most of which were apple scented and none of which he touched. He scrubbed the dried blood off his otherwise unmarked skin with dumbapple-scented soap, got out and dried himself off, then got dressed. When he glanced at the clock on his way out of the apartment, he nearly choked at the time. _1:15._ Had he really slept that long?

The SOLDIER he'd asked directions from gave him a pitying look when Cloud told him his destination. It took all his willpower not to roll his eyes at the guy. He got that he was potentially putting his life on the line by going to visit the commander now, but his life wasn't worth a whole lot at the moment.

When he got to Genesis' office, he took a deep breath. It was now or never. He rapped three times on the door, then pressed the button on the panel to open it.

The red-haired First glanced up immediately from his position bent over his desk. "Strife," he greeted a little stiffly. "Come have a seat."

* * *

><p>Genesis eyed the cadet as inconspicuously as he could. He didn't seem to be suffering any ill effects from his injuries; Cure had done its job well. "You slept well, I trust?"<p>

Cloud shuffled in, sitting down in the chair across from him. "I… suppose so, sir," he replied. "I'm sorry you had to find me like that, sir."

"I've seen worse," Genesis said, then realized that might sound like he was writing the kid's injuries off. "But I know cuts and bruises have a more lasting effect without mako. Anyway…" Reaching into his desk drawer, he pulled out the yellow notebook. "I believe this belongs to you."

The blond's eyes widened for a moment, then he seemed to collect himself and reached out to take the notebook. "Yes, sir," he nodded. "Did you, um… Did you read it?"

It had been beyond tempting, Genesis was more than willing to admit. "No," he shook his head, "I didn't."

Cloud blinked, surprised. "You didn't?"

"It's your notebook," he shrugged. "I certainly wouldn't want my privacy invaded and I felt the same consideration should be extended to yours."

"Oh," the cadet said softly. "Thank you, sir."

"However, you know I'm going to ask you what you were doing in the observation deck in the first place."

A heavy silence settled on the room while Cloud bit his bottom lip and refused to meet Genesis' eyes, obviously trying to come up with the best explanation possible. The redhead waited patiently, not wanting to pressure the cadet. Now was not the time to scare him into response.

"It was an accident at first," he started. "I ran in there a few days ago when I was hiding from Jadak and his brothers and I saw you were down there fighting some simulation monster. After that, I thought it would be a good idea to come and watch you. That maybe I'd learn something since you were the one who helped me understand things in the first place."

Hope suddenly surged back into the picture. "And did you?"

"I've been trying to figure out what type of materia it is that you use, but I haven't been able to. I think I know more than I need to about Barriers now, though." He chuckled nervously.

Unable to help himself, Genesis cracked a half-smile. "I fashion many of my own materia," he said. "Defense and Magic Defense being prime examples."

"You can do that?"

"Materia Fusion, among other things."

"Wouldn't a Wall be more efficient, though?" the cadet asked. "Since it protects against both physical and magical attacks?"

"In theory, perhaps, but Wall only halves damage. My own defensive materia provide a more full protection. Sacrificing one materia slot is a price I'll willingly pay for that."

Cloud furrowed his brow. "You couldn't just make one big materia?"

"Materia has its own physics," Genesis explained. "They can only be asked to perform so many tasks before they fail. Most only have a single function: Fire, Blizzard, Gravity, etcetera. That's why it usually takes at least one Mastered materia in order to create a new one—it must be strong enough to handle the extra information."

It was then that the redhead realized how easily he'd slipped into casual conversation with Cloud. For nearly a week, they'd avoided each other because of hurt feelings and here he was, explaining materia physics to the boy.

"Ah—Strife," he interrupted himself. "I did ask you here for a reason."

The cader sobered and nodded. "Yes, sir."

"I asked you here because I wanted to…"

Damn it, he _couldn't say it._

"I said a lot of things last week," the commander continued on awkwardly, "that I didn't mean."

"Sir?"

"I called you a failure and said that I never wanted to train you." His stomach twisted when Cloud visibly flinched at his words. "But I didn't mean it. I didn't mean any of it."

The blond narrowed his eyes and pursed his lips. "If you didn't mean it, why did you say it?" he challenged.

Closing his eyes with a sigh, Genesis forced himself to keep talking. "It's… hard for me to let go of my pride," he blurted. "I'm selfish and I'm a sore loser, and I thought if I could make you hate me, I could walk away without looking back. But… I can't handle you hating me."

"I don't hate you."

The redhead looked up, carefully regarding the cadet. "You don't?"

"Even if things ended badly, you were still the best teacher I've ever had. I could never hate you for that," Cloud said sincerely. "But if what you said wasn't true, why did you pick me? Why not someone else?"

"Because under all that clumsiness and timidity, I saw talent," he replied. "And I was right." He paused a few moments, then looked the cadet squarely in the eye. "Tell me, Strife. Back home, did you dream of joining SOLDIER to become a hero?"

"Yes, sir—"

"Genesis," the redhead interjected suddenly. "Call me Genesis… Cloud"

"Genesis," he echoed, somewhat startled. "I… Before I left Nibelheim, I told a friend of mine that I'd… well, I wasn't coming back until I made it into SOLDIER. And that I would be there for her when she was in trouble. I want to prove to everyone that I can do it."

"When I was growing up, my family owned dumbapple orchards in Banora. One day, I had the idea to make juice out of the apples. I entered my little creation in the local fair and here we are, several years later, and Banora White juice is nearly more famous than I am."

Cloud's expression registered surprise. "_You_ invented Banora White juice?"

The commander smirked at his awe. "I did," he nodded. "But back then, it wasn't about the fact that I'd come up with some sort of groundbreaking new drink. What I truly wanted was for the great hero, Sephiroth, to have even just one of our apples. So perhaps you and I aren't as different as you might think."

"I've never had any brilliant ideas like that, though."

"Humble beginnings with the shared dream of becoming a hero," Genesis corrected. "But like I said, I'm terribly selfish… _My soul, corrupted by vengeance, hath endured torment to find the end of the journey in my own salvation…"_

Silence stretched on for several long moments. It wasn't unbearable, but there was still so much the commander wanted to say and had no idea how to say it. For the first time in his life, he was going out of his way to try and fix something _he'd_ screwed up. And he hated admitting that he was wrong.

"I didn't really expect to have this opportunity to speak with you," he said at length, "but I'm glad I did, even if the circumstances were less than desirable. I requested a mission from Director Lazard and I would leave tomorrow, but I'd like to put forth the option of my training you again. I've… missed you, Cloud."

Surprisingly enough, the cadet had neither a positive nor a negative reaction to hearing that. He simply sat, looking at the ground.

"If you want to have nothing to do with me anymore, I completely understand—"

"No," Cloud interrupted, then hesitated a few beats. "I've missed you too."

Genesis fought the enormous grin that threatened to spread across his face. "I'm glad," he said. "I'll tell Lazard to pass the mission on to someone else."

And the Director was definitely going to be pulling a few chunks of hair out over that, considering how adamant he'd been in the first place.

"You're free to go to your afternoon classes," the redhead went on. "We can meet this evening since you missed training this morning."

Standing up from his chair, Cloud flashed him a genuine smile. "Thank you, si—ah, Genesis," he said. "Oh! I may or may not be a little late. I, uh… Have to talk to someone after I get out of class."

The commander shrugged. "I think I can waive it just this once," he teased.

As he watched the blond start towards the door, Sephiroth's condescending tone floated through his mind. Yes, he seemed to have made up with Cloud, but he was still avoiding what he needed to say.

"Cloud, wait."

Genesis' resolve wavered when he was faced with that innocent, expectant expression. "I…"

It would have been so easy to say _nevermind_ or _I'll tell you later_ or _it's nothing_. He could put it off, plan it out, talk to Sephiroth first, call Angeal again, _anything_ to get out of doing this now. But the longer he waited, the harder it got. And the guilt over not saying it didn't stop piling up.

"I'm sorry."

_Dear Gaia,_ he'd said it.

It wasn't until he opened his eyes did he realize that he'd closed them. "I'm really, truly sorry for everything—for what _I_ did," he continued, "and I hope you can forgive me."

Cloud stared for several long moments, then turned away and exited the office without another word.

* * *

><p>"Heya, Spiky? How's it going?"<p>

"Zack, we need to talk."

"Uh oh. This doesn't sound good."

"Can we sit down?"

The Second plopped down beside him. "Okay," he prompted, "what's up?"

Rubbing his face, Cloud sighed. He really wasn't sure how to say this. "I don't think I'm going to be able to train with you anymore," he said.

"Did I do something wrong?" Zack asked, expression growing concerned.

"No," he said quickly. "No, it's not you. You've been really helpful and I'm glad you could even help me at all."

Zack frowned. "Then what's the problem?"

"Well…" It was now or never, he supposed. "I'm going to start training with Commander Rhapsodos again."

"You're _what?"_ the brunet exclaimed, eyes going wide. "You're kidding, right? Have you gone completely suicidal?"

"He's not that bad, Zack—"

"Not that bad? He was using you to win a bet!"

"But it isn't like that anymore!" Cloud snapped. "We talked this morning and he apologized."

Holding up his hands, Zack shook his head. "Whoa, whoa, whoa. Back it up. Genesis _apologized?"_

"Yes."

"And you believe him?"

"Yes. I do."

"Cloudy, listen to me," the Second insisted. "Genesis is up to no good. He never apologizes to anyone. Ever. He's obviously lying."

"It isn't like that this time. And he's not a liar."

"How would you even know?"

"Because I know him!"

"You've known him for, what? A week?" Zack said. "I've known him way longer than that. And his best friend is my mentor."

"But have you actually taken the time to get to know him?" Cloud asked.

He scoffed, rolling his eyes. "I don't _need_ to get to know him to know he's bad news," he replied.

Talking with Zack about this was completely worthless, Cloud realized. There was nothing he could say in Genesis' defense that the Second wouldn't refute with some sort of rumor or jaded opinion. He knew things were different with the commander now. But the only way Zack would believe it was if Genesis proved it.

"Well I'm going to take my chances," he resolved.

"Don't say I didn't warn you," Zack said, rising to his feet.

Cloud scrambled up as well. "Are we still on for lunch tomorrow?"

The brunet's eyes turned a little cold and he looked away. "Can't. Got a meeting with someone," he said shortly, starting off down the hallway. "Have fun with Genesis."

As soon as he left, Cloud banged his head against the wall. With all the crap he'd gone through the past few weeks, his actual test was starting to look like a walk in the park.

* * *

><p><em>RegenesisX<em>


	18. Chapter 18

**MAKING THE CUT**

_"You don't understand the beauty in these words. How tragic." ~ Genesis Rhapsodos_

There was a split second where Sephiroth's attention was diverted by the sound of the training room door hissing open. In that brief snap of time, the griffin took the opportunity to lunge for him. Masamune sang through the air, impaling the monster in almost a casual manner. Swinging his blade through the dissipating simulation, the general turned around to face whoever had interrupted him.

"Genesis?" he prompted, giving his friend a careful once-over. The normally proud redhead's shoulders were slumped and his arms were folded tightly across his chest, almost as if he wished not to be noticed. At first the general worried he was injured, but even through pain, Genesis somehow managed to lose none of his bravado.

No, right now he almost looked… defeated.

After a few moments of uncomfortable shifting, Genesis spoke. "I apologized to Strife."

Sephiroth's eyebrows went up. "You did?" he said, not bothering to mask his surprise.

"He told me doesn't hate me, that he misses me, and I said I was sorry," he replied morosely.

"Then why, may I ask, do you look like you're going to throw up?"

"He hasn't forgiven me."

The general sighed, considering. "From what you've told me, he doesn't have much motivation _to _forgive you."

Genesis deflated a little more.

"But it doesn't seem like he'd hold a grudge against you for this," he added. "After all, he doesn't hate you."

Groaning, the redhead raked a hand through his hair. "I just thought this would be _over_ after I apologized," he said testily. "Now I have no idea where I stand with him _or_ Angeal."

It was unfortunate, Sephiroth felt, that he had little experience when it came to sensitive matters like emotions. He understood it was alright verbally kick Genesis around a little, since the commander did the same to him, but he also understood people had limits. Whenever his words cut too deeply, Genesis tended to get moody and sulk for long periods of time. The first time it happened, he thought he'd ruined their friendship for good. Angeal had assured him no fatal damage had been done and sure enough, they were soon chasing each other around the training rooms again. But it rattled him—feeling like he'd lost one of his only friends.

Oh.

There was a thought.

"Don't hold it against Strife," he said, trying to channel an inner piece of Angeal. "I'm sure if you show him you really mean it, he'll forgive you in time."

The muscles in the redhead's jaw tightened as he ground his teeth together, thinking.

"If it makes you feel any better, I'm sorry I even suggested the bet in the first place. I didn't know it would cause you so much grief."

A wry smirk twisted its way onto Genesis' face. "And to think all if this is _your_ fault," he laughed humorlessly, then let out a sharp breath. "Anyway, it doesn't really matter now. Strife and I are back to training and he'll either pass his test or he won't."

The comment's implications weren't lost on Sephiroth. "I guess that means I'll be going on that mission alone?"

Genesis' eyes widened in feigned surprise that would've fooled anyone else who didn't know him extremely well. "I'd completely forgotten!" he gasped, slapping a hand over his heart. "Could I trouble you to let Lazard know I've suddenly been taken ill?"

Suppressing the urge to roll his eyes, Sephiroth nodded. "Of course."

"_There is no hate, only joy, for you are beloved by the Goddess, Hero of the dawn, Healer of worlds,"_ Genesis said, flashing him a tired grin and sweeping out of the room.

_LOVELESS-_speak for 'thank you,' Sephiroth supposed.

* * *

><p>When Cloud arrived to meet Genesis in the training room, he was hit with an overwhelming surge of déjà vu. It was almost like his sessions with Crimson—only now he knew that Crimson was Genesis and the truth behind the façade. But the feeling of familiarity was still somewhat comforting.<p>

Especially when the first thing out of the commander's mouth was, "Pushups. Now."

Gritting his teeth, Cloud performed all of his exercises in succession: pushups, situps, stretches, laps. It was tiring, as he was still recovering from yesterday's fiasco, but he forced himself to continue on. As he jogged his laps, he absently wondered if Genesis had missed watching him run around in circles.

"Come here," the redhead barked once he'd finished.

Panting, Cloud hastened to meet him in the middle of the room.

"We're not going to waste any more time," Genesis said. "After today, we're shifting focus away from drills and into live combat. That means simulations, real monsters, and sparring with yours truly."

"Are we allowed to do that?" Cloud blurted before he could stop himself.

The commander arched an eyebrow, giving him an odd look.

"I mean, I know _you're_ allowed to do that," he amended, "but I'm only a cadet—"

"While you're training with me, you're doing so as my personal student," Genesis interrupted, dismissively waving a hand. "If someone gives you grief about it, tell them to take it up with me."

Nodding, the cadet lowered his gaze. He knew Genesis was referring to higher ups, but he couldn't help thinking that if he'd been able to do that since the beginning, he might have avoided most of the trouble he'd gotten into with Jadak. Not that what happened in the past mattered.

_Keep looking forward,_ he told himself. But there was still one thing that he needed to ask…

"Sir—I mean, Genesis?" he said, tilting his chin to look the commander in the eye, hoping he at least _looked_ confident. "I want to pass my test as much as the next cadet, but I have to know… Are you still doing this just to win the bet?"

Genesis looked like he'd just been slapped and, for a moment, he didn't answer. "While it would be… nice… to win it, the idea of the bet is obsolete, at best," he replied at length.

"You and Sephiroth haven't… talked about it at all?"

"Only that it was a stupid idea to begin with." He paused, letting out a sharp sigh. "_My friend, the fates are cruel. There are no dreams, no honor remains. The arrow has left the bow of the Goddess."_

"What are you quoting?" Cloud asked out of reflex. It had to be from something, unless Genesis was just brilliant at thinking up on-the-spot poetry.

"_LOVELESS,"_ the commander said.

"Oh." He could recall seeing posters around Midgar advertising the play. And wasn't there a street called LOVELESS Avenue somewhere in Sector 8? "I've heard of that. I don't know much about it, though."

A wistful look caught in Genesis' eyes for a split second. "It is my passion," he explained. "Well, aside from killing things."

Unable to help himself, Cloud chuckled. "I guess I'll go see the play when I have time."

"Read the book first. It's better," the redhead interjected, then gave him a suspicious glance. "I'd lend you a copy, but I'm not sure how much I trust you with books anymore."

The cadet's eyes widened. "Oh Gaia, I meant to give that back to you!" he squeaked. "You see—"

"I know. That twig and his muscle mugged you. I saw you when you 'fell down the stairs,' remember?" Genesis tapped his temple.

"I don't know how much Yuza would appreciate being called a 'twig,' sir," Cloud scoffed. Knowing Yuza, the older cadet would probably insist on showing Genesis just how much _twig_ he really was. Just because he was unenhanced didn't mean he wasn't dangerous.

The commander smirked. "Just as well I don't plan on saying it to his face, chocobo-brains."

"I don't appreciate that," he said, adopting a look of mock offense.

"Oh?" Genesis challenged. "And just what do you intend to do about it?"

Pursing his lips, Cloud balled up his fist and gently socked his arm. First there was silence, and then both of them burst out laughing. It had been a long time, the cadet realized, since he'd honestly laughed with someone else. A warm feeling bubbled up inside of him. Who would've thought it would be with Genesis?

Once their chortles and guffaws had abated, the redhead brought them back on topic. "I want you to get a good night's sleep tonight," he said seriously, poking Cloud's chest. "You've got a lot of work to do tomorrow, so if_anyone_ gives you trouble, you tell them Commander Rhapsodos is going to come after them with a chainsaw. Kapeesh?"

The image of Genesis chasing Jadak down the hallway suddenly popped into his head, and the cadet wasn't sure if he was going to have pleasant dreams or nightmares tonight. "Yes, sir," he nodded.

"Good," the redhead smiled. "You're dismissed."

"Thank you, sir."

Perhaps he wasn't quite ready to forgive Genesis about the whole bet situation. Heck, he didn't even want to _think_ about _Sephiroth's_ involvement. But once upon a time, the commander had asked for his friendship and if he hadn't been lying about believing in him, then Cloud was willing to trust that he hadn't been lying about that either.

* * *

><p>When Angeal finally returned to his apartment, it was late. After being practically accosted on the helicopter landing pad by Director Lazard wanting an immediate mission report, he'd been held up by Reno, who was quite adamant that he take the stairs instead of the elevators. On his way up, he ran into Professor Hollander. They had a surprisingly pleasant chat about their mutual dislike of the fish served in Junon, then parted ways. Already weary from his mission, Angeal was looking forward to dropping his bags in his living room and falling face-first into bed.<p>

Unfortunately, that wasn't how the universe decided his night should go.

The dark-haired First stepped into his living room to find none other than Zack Fair lounging on his couch, playing with a pair of rubber bands and looking astonishingly sullen.

"Nice to see you too," Angeal greeted, shrugging his bag off his shoulder.

Zack lethargically glanced up at him. "Hey, Angeal."

"Well, are you going to tell me what's wrong or just lay there like an angst-ridden teenager?"

"I hate Genesis."

Normally, that wouldn't come as much of a surprise, but under the light of recent events, the comment piqued interest. Folding his arms, Angeal moved to stand in front of the couch. "Why? What has he done now?"

"He's stolen Cloud again," the Second moaned.

Angeal raised an eyebrow. "Stolen Cloud?" he repeated.

"Yes!" Zack exclaimed, throwing up his hands. "He somehow managed to convince Spiky to train with him again."

Pursing his lips, Angeal considered. He'd gotten Genesis' phone call while he was out in Junon, but hadn't returned it yet. Genesis had grown so loath to admit he was wrong that he couldn't even properly apologize anymore. The fact that he'd even made an effort said a lot and Angeal wanted to speak with him in person before they went any further.

"I guess a lot happened while I was gone," he commented. "You say Genesis and Cloud are training together again?"

"Yeah. Cloud came and told me this afternoon."

"And what about the bet?"

"Cloud said it didn't have anything to do with the bet, but you know Genesis," Zack griped.

Angeal sighed. Yes, he did know Genesis. "I think you three need to sit down and have a talk," he said.

"But—"

"Goodnight, Zack."

* * *

><p>Cloud cautiously poked his head into the training room. There <em>was<em> someone in there. On his way back to barracks, he could've sworn he heard noise coming from inside his combat class training room. At first he'd thought he was hearing things or perhaps just going insane, but his ears hadn't deceived him.

"Yuza?" he called tentatively.

The long-haired cadet stopped shooting and threw a glance over his shoulder. Whispers of confusion crossed his face and he turned. "What are you doing here?" he asked.

"Guns aren't exactly quiet," Cloud shrugged, entering the room. "But shouldn't_ I_ be the one asking what _you're_ doing here?"

Resting his rifle against his shoulder, Yuza approached him. "Practicing."

"But you're brilliant. You don't need practice," Cloud pointed out.

A smirk quirked onto the taller blond's lips, but only for a moment. He sighed, rolling his head off to the side, and cast his gaze towards the floor. "I wanted to be alone," he murmured. "Jadak and I aren't speaking."

Cloud furrowed his brow. "Why not?"

"He spends his time chasing shadows and I don't want to play his game anymore," Yuza said cryptically.

"What?"

"If I told you I was never very interested in joining SOLDIER, would that surprise you?"

In all honesty, it did. Regardless of the fact that he'd been propositioned by the Turks, Yuza was on his way to making a great SOLDIER. Skills like his weren't nurtured half-heartedly. Unless they were, and if that were the case, Cloud didn't even want to _know_ what Yuza's full potential was. "Yeah, kinda," he admitted.

Yuza hmphed and looked away. "It was Jadak's dream to join SOLDIER," he said. "He wanted to become greater than everyone, even Sephiroth. But he wouldn't do anything if Zol and I weren't doing it with him, so we all came to Midgar together."

"You didn't want to?" Cloud asked.

"As much as I love fighting and killing things, I'd rather do it on my own terms," Yuza replied.

"Why not just tell Jadak that?"

The older cadet shifted, almost uncomfortably. "For us, Jadak's happiness comes first. I turned a blind eye to it and Zol would follow Jadak wherever he led." He sighed sharply and shook his head. "I couldn't expect you to understand."

"No," Cloud said quickly, "I think I get it. When Jadak told you to beat me up… that was just you trying to keep him happy."

"Hm. For what it's worth."

Yuza hid under his mask of indifference well. No one would guess he was unhappy playing as Jadak's loyal dog; possibly just slightly bored. But, as Cloud was coming to learn over these past couple weeks, even the people you thought you had figured out were more complex than you realized.

"Jadak's jealous of you, you know."

Cloud's eyebrows went up into his hair. "_Excuse me?"_

Unfazed, Yuza gazed at him steadily. "You're the one who's had personal training with a SOLDIER," he said. "Little Brother, who can barely hold a gun right, let alone shoot anything with it."

"But why would he…" he trailed off, the pieces clicking together. The worst cadet in their class gets handpicked to train with a SOLDIER and the best doesn't? Of course Jadak would be jealous. And, since this was Jadak they were talking about, he would do everything he could to stop it.

"Jadak only sees things in terms of fairness to him. If you have something he wants, he'll try and take it from you. But he'd be perfectly happy to overlook 'fairness' if things turned in his favor."

Realization hit Cloud and his eyes went wide. "Gen—Commander Rhapsodos found me yesterday in the stairwell."

"I assume that's why you're so put together today?" Yuza drawled lazily.

"Yeah, um, Cure…" he said, scratching the back of his head. "But anyway, he apologized about the bet and he and I are going to start training together again."

Yuza raised his eyebrows a fraction of an inch. "Still a glutton for punishment, Brother?" he teased, chuckling. "Jadak doesn't know about your involvement with him."

"Well, he's going to now." Cloud sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "The commander told me if anyone gives me trouble to tell them he's going to come after them with a chainsaw."

The taller cadet snorted, then quickly covered his mouth. "Perhaps you don't need to worry, then," he said, amusement laced in his voice. "It would be less likely for Jadak to risk upsetting one of the top Firsts in the company than an unknown Second."

With a sigh, Cloud shrugged. "One would hope…" He shuffled awkwardly, then said, "Hey Yuza? Would you… like to go grab some food with me?"

Yuza tilted his head, green eyes curious. "With… you?"

"I mean I just thought since we've both kind of ended up on Jadak's bad side…" he said hurriedly, lifting his hands. "If you don't want to, that's cool, I'll just go by myself—"

His babbling was cut off by Yuza's eerie laughter. "Just give me a moment to put my gun away," the taller cadet replied, giving him a half-smile.

* * *

><p><strong>DAY 16<strong>

"Now Strife, I want you to listen very carefully. Don't _ever_ repeat what I am about to tell you to _anyone_ when you leave this room."

A wave of apprehension washed over him, but Cloud waded his way through it and nodded vehemently.

"We're going to discuss weak points," Genesis said. "More specifically, mine."

They were going to discuss _Genesis'_ weak points? Did SOLDIER Firsts _have_ weak points? Cloud stared up at him, dumbfounded.

The commander pressed on, ignoring his shock. "Let's say you were trying to kill me. Where could you attack me to inflict damage?"

Realistically, he wasn't sure he _could_ inflict damage on a SOLDIER, but he threw out an answer anyway. "Your head?" he guessed.

"Why?" Genesis questioned.

"Well… you're not wearing a helmet."

"I can see you're quite sharp this morning," the redhead snorted. "However, that is correct. Most infantrymen and SOLDIERs choose to wear helmets for the extra protection. I personally don't feel the need for one as it limits my range of vision."

Not only that, Cloud agreed, but it made his hair do strange things.

"Where else?"

"Um… Your arms? Or legs?"

Genesis stretched out his arms and examined them. "I suppose so, but if you're actually stupid enough to try and cut through my coat, you're not going to last very long." He sighed, folding his arms. "How about someplace _painfully_ obvious?"

Pursing his lips, Cloud looked the redhead up and down, trying not to feel awkward.

"I'm growing grey hairs, Cadet."

"Er…" Cloud bit his lip. "Your… your heart?"

"_Thank_ you!" the redhead snapped, throwing up his hands. "Rule Number One: If you stab it through the heart, it will die. You will not come across anything in this training program that doesn't follow that rule."

Cloud raised his hand. "What about machines?" he asked.

"All machines have some sort of core that more or less functions as their heart and brain combined. If you destroy that, the machine is down," Genesis explained. He stepped away, beckoning Cloud the follow him. "Why don't we see how badly combat class has screwed you up?"

A wooden sword was thrust at him. Blinking, Cloud looked up at Genesis. "I have to fight _you?"_ he gaped.

"We'll get to that next week," he said, which didn't ease Cloud's nerves in the least. "Right now I want you to swing at me so I can stand here and yell at you."

Sucking in a deep breath, the cadet assumed his fighting stance.

Genesis looked ready to bang his head against the wall. "Very funny, Strife."

A blush rose up into Cloud's cheeks. He lowered his hands and gave the commander a helpless shrug.

"You are currently in the correct stance for someone almost twice your height and width," Genesis snapped, moving around behind him to kick his feet closer together. "Which would be alright if you were made if iron, but you're not. You're a weak, flimsy, un-enhanced cadet and you don't have the strength to back it up." The commander moved around in front of him again, mirroring his stance, and lifted his sword. "Now. Where are my weak points?"

"I… don't know?"

"What hand do I hold my sword in?"

Cloud furrowed his brow. "Your right hand?"

"Because I'm…?"

"Right handed."

"Which would make my right side…"

"…Dominant?"

"Exactly." Without warning, Genesis suddenly lashed out with his sword. Cloud yelped when the wooden blade hit his left arm. "My left side is weaker than my right side," the commander said, "thus making it an ideal target for attackers."

Rubbing his arm, Cloud filed away that tidbit of information and made a mental note to find out which hand Yuza wrote with in case they ever sparred again.

"Lastly, there are three S-words I'd like you to keep in mind. Speed, strength, and stamina," Genesis said. "One trait usually makes itself more prominent than the other two. Care to take a guess which is mine?"

Cloud thought back to the times he'd watched the commander in the training room. "Speed?"

A smirk spread across the redhead's face. "Very good, Strife," he praised. "I see your little observation room jaunts weren't a _total_ waste. As opposed to using brute force or attempting to outlast my opponent, I outmaneuver them. Not," he added quickly, "to say I _don't_ use the others; many of the enemies I face are weaker than myself and can be dealt with using superior strength. However, in the instances where my enemy is the stronger one, I use my speed as my advantage."

There were a few brief moments were Cloud recalled his sessions with Zack. It mostly consisted of him swinging his sword, Zack laughing at him, then helping him up so he could try again. The Second _had_ mentioned something about looking for the enemy's weak point, but hadn't gone into any further detail than that.

"So, when I'm fighting someone, I need to look for their weakness and exploit it?" Cloud asked, trying to summarize.

"And don't forget to guard your own," Genesis advised. "Now, attack me."

* * *

><p><em>RegenesisX<em>


	19. Chapter 19

**MAKING THE CUT**

_"Believe? In others? Why do you persist in this mummer's farce?" ~ Kuja_

"Another day of training, and _no Brother."_

Yuza didn't even bother to flinch when Jadak's hand shot out and slammed his locker closed in front of him. He flashed his younger brother a bored gaze. "Is that bothersome to you?"

"If he's not _here_, then he's somewhere _else,"_ Jadak hissed.

"How observant."

Letting out a frustrated noise, Jadak kicked Yuza's locker. It left a dent in the metal. "If he's not here, that means he's training with someone else. With that _SOLDIER."_

"Does it really matter?" Yuza asked, yanking his locker back open to throw his boots in. The flimsy metal protested weakly as he forced it shut again.

"Of course it does!" Jadak spun around to pace. The other cadets in the locker room eyed him warily, hurrying to change and get out. "He hasn't done anything to deserve personal training. We've worked harder than him. We've worked harder than anyone."

Zol let out a sigh, shoulders drooping. "Mother would be so disappointed."

"Shut up, Zol," Jadak snarled. Zol winced, shrinking behind his scarf. Satisfied, Jadak turned his attention back to Yuza. "We're the ones who deserve to be in SOLDIER. Not _Cloud Strife_."

Yuza opened his mouth to stick up for Cloud, but a different set of words tumbled out of his mouth instead. "I'm not going to join SOLDIER."

Shock electrified the three into silence. Jadak's eyes flew wide, as though he'd been punched in the gut. Zol shifted, glancing between Jadak and Yuza. He looked like he might pee himself. And Yuza wanted more than anything to just melt back into the lockers and pretend nothing had happened. But he couldn't—not anymore.

Anger swirled into Jadak's eyes and Yuza saw his fists curl. _"Excuse me?"_

"You heard me," he replied, holding his ground.

"This is our _dream! _You can't just... throw it away!"

Folding his arms, Yuza leaned back against the lockers. He could already feel the telltale throb of a headache coming on. "It isn't my dream, Jadak," he said.

"Then what exactly _is_ you dream? What else is there for you, Yuza?" Jadak demanded. "You can't go back home. Mother would never have you. Mother would never _want_ you."

"I'm going to join the Turks."

At that, Jadak tossed his head back and laughed. "Join the Turks?" he scoffed. "As if they'd take you."

Yuza thought about mentioning the redhead Turk's offer several weeks ago, but opted to hold his tongue.

"Fine, then. Go play with the Turks. But when they toss you back to the curb, don't come crawling to me." Jadak huffed as he spun on his heel and strode towards the exit. "Come on, Zol."

Zol cast an apologetic look at Yuza before hurrying after Jadak.

It was only after they left that Yuza let out the breath he'd been holding and buried his face in his hands.

* * *

><p>A knock on his front door late in the evening startled Genesis out of his reading. Setting <em>LOVELESS<em> aside, he got up and shuffled across the living room. When he answered the door, he found himself faced with the one conversation he'd been dreading.

"Angeal," Genesis greeted, eyeing his old friend carefully. "I wasn't aware you'd returned from your mission. What brings you here?"

Angeal looked mildly startled by his impersonal tone. "I thought we could talk," he said.

Wordlessly, Genesis stepped aside to let him in. It wasn't until they had settled on the couch that he spoke again. "What did you want to talk about?" he asked.

"I know we were on bad terms when I left," Angeal started, "and it's entirely my fault. If I had spoken to you about coming to watch, none of this would've happened and I sincerely apologize for that. I didn't mean to make you think I didn't trust you."

Genesis let out a tense breath, mulling over his next words. "I… overreacted," he said slowly. "I know you weren't trying to cut me down, I was just… caught up in the moment."

Pursing his lips, Angeal ran a hand through his hair and shook his head. "This bet _really_ wasn't a good idea."

"Oh, I don't know," the redhead sighed with a shrug. "It's taken me on a rather tempestuous journey of self-discovery. My whole paradigm of views has been shifted to an entirely new perspective."

"And how has that been for you?" Angeal asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Bloody awful."

A few moments of silence lapsed between the two of them until they both burst out laughing. Genesis gripped his stomach and leaned his elbow on the arm of the couch, letting his giggles wind down. Something warm had bubbled up inside of him, plastering a smile on his face. It had been a long time since he'd last sat around and laughed with Angeal. Angeal, the only person in the world who knew him better than he knew himself. He shouldn't have been worried.

"I've missed you," Genesis said.

"Me too," Angeal replied with a smile.

"I think Sephiroth has as well. I don't know _how_ he hasn't pulled all of his hair out dealing with me for the past few days."

The brunet snorted. "He did seem awfully happy to see me when I poked my head into his office this morning. Been giving him trouble, have you?"

"Whatever makes you think that, Angeal?" the redhead chirped, batting his eyelashes. "But you'll be happy to hear we seem to have come to a consensus over the past few days."

"I hear you've also started training Cloud Strife again," Angeal said.

Genesis nodded hesitantly. "We're giving it another shot, yes."

"Zack is pretty upset about it. He thinks you're going to hurt him again."

"Of course he does. That's Zack's call in life isn't it? To save those who can't save themselves?"

Angeal opened his mouth, then closed it again, a contemplative look crossing his face. "I suppose... that's actually a fair assessment of him," he said, shrugging.

Leaning back, Genesis propped his feet up on the coffee table and hooked one ankle over the other. "I've learned more about myself over the past few weeks than I honestly cared to know." He sighed heavily. "Before, everything was so black and white. I made my rules, other people either followed them or got hurt. And then Strife comes along and makes me realize just how gooey the centers of human beings are."

Angeal snorted, covering his mouth. "That's one way to put it."

"Shut up." Even though he was swatting at Angeal, Genesis couldn't help the smile that forced itself onto his face. "It's a metaphor."

"If you say so."

_"Anyway_," Genesis continued, "you can tell Zackary that I have absolutely no ill intention towards Strife. After all, everything coming out of your mouth automatically has more credibility, even if _I'm_ the one who's making the promise. I think it has to do with your saliva."

Angeal stuck out his tongue and crossed his eyes so he could look down at it. "Where are you coming up with these things?"

"I'm a genius," Genesis huffed, flipping his hair back.

"If that's what helps you sleep at night, Genesis."

* * *

><p><strong>DAY 17<strong>

Zack drummed his fingers on his arm, staring at the display that ticked off the numbers of the floors as the elevator passed them. Finally, the display blinked '49' and the elevator shuddered to a halt. The doors slid open and Zack stepped out into the hallway, stuffing his hands deep into his pockets. The other SOLDIERs on the floor gave him smiles as he passed—everyone knew Zack Fair—but Zack ignored them in favor of ducking into the training wing. Through the glass doors lining the walls, he could see Seconds sparring, a First holding a class of Thirds, and even Angeal battling a sim monster. Through the very last door on the right, however, he found what he was looking for. A speck of blond here, a smear of red there.

Fishing his ID out of his pocket, he flashed it for the scanner and the door slid open. Zack silently slipped into the training room and posted himself with his back against the wall. Cloud was oblivious to his arrival, but the slight hitch in Genesis' movement told Zack the commander had indeed noticed him. But he didn't break concentration and continued barking orders at Cloud.

"Tighten your stance!" he bellowed. "Tuck your elbows in!"

Cloud, who was busy shooting at simulated monsters, did his best to follow Genesis' instructions. Zack couldn't help but notice that Cloud's aim showed marked improvement. Instead of flying wide, most of the cadet's shots were hitting their marks. His coordination was still sloppy, but he was moving and shooting and none of the monsters had gotten him yet.

Zack couldn't help the smile that tugged the corners of his lips up. So perhaps Genesis' training hadn't been all for nothing. Cloud _was_ getting better.

Of course, all good things came to an end, and it was obvious the cadet had been at this for a long time. Sweat was soaking through his uniform, and his breath was coming quick and shallow. It was simply exhaustion and misfortune that caused the right toe of his boot to catch on the back of his left one. Cloud fell to the floor with a _splat!_

The last remaining monster lunged for him and Zack opened his mouth to shout a warning, but a fireball incinerated the monster on the spot. Genesis shook the magic from his fingers and strode over to the fallen cadet. Zack fully expected to hear Cloud get an earful and was surprised when the commander simply thrust out a hand. Cloud took it and allowed himself to be hauled to his feet.

"You didn't have to do that," he muttered, rubbing his face.

"I didn't," Genesis agreed, "but I think you've had enough for today."

Cloud shook his head, making to reload his gun. "No, I'm fine—"

"Cloud."

"But I _tripped."_

Genesis gently pried the gun from Cloud's fingers. "You tripped because you're tired," he said. "Back to you barracks, Strife."

"But—"

"That's an order."

Shoulders slumping, Cloud reluctantly turned towards the door. His sleepy eyes popped open when he spotted Zack leaning against the wall. Zack offered him a smile, to which the cadet hesitantly smiled back. Genesis watched them for a moment, then decided he had better things to do.

"Hey, um..." Cloud scratched the back of his head as he approached. "What are you doing here?"

"Well, I wanted to apologize. I was kind of a jerk the other day."

Cloud chuckled softly. "Yeah. You kinda were."

"But you have to admit, I had a right to be worried," Zack pointed out. "Genesis isn't exactly a saint when it comes to cadets."

The cadet shrugged, glancing over his shoulder at the commander. "I don't think he ever will be."

"So... what made you decide to go back to training with him again?"

Cloud tugged on Zack's arm. "Let's go down to the Mess," he suggested.

The two left the training room and headed down the corridor towards the elevator. Zack rocked back and forth on his heels while the waited for the elevator to arrive, debating whether or not to repeat his question, but decided to just hold his tongue and not risk being annoying. A ding announced the elevator's arrival, followed by the doors sliding open. They scooted out of the way for a pair of Thirds, then entered the elevator. Zack punched the button for the floor the Mess was on. _Finally_, Cloud spoke again.

"He's a really tough instructor. A _lot_ tougher than Instructor Davis," he said, staring at his boots. "He has zero patience and I'm lucky to get a 'good job' out of him, let alone an actual compliment. I was pretty sure he was insane the first time I met him."

Zack couldn't help snorting, but otherwise remained silent.

"It felt more like punishment than training sometimes, especially once I found out about the bet. But then there were these moments where I think he forgot that he was only helping me to best Sephiroth." Cloud paused. "I wasn't just a means to an end to him anymore. We were friends. Almost."

"So that's it?" Zack asked. "You just forgave him because you're friends?"

The cadet lifted his head to meet Zack's gaze. "Who said I forgave him?"

"But I thought you—"

"I'm giving him a second chance, that's all," Cloud said. "He deserves that, at the very least. I didn't expect him to apologize."

"I didn't either." In fact, Zack hadn't even believed Cloud initially when he'd said that Genesis apologized. Not that he was going to admit that.

The elevator doors opened, emptying them out into the hallway. Cloud stuffed his hands into his pockets. "He didn't have to," he said. "He's a SOLDIER First; I'm only a cadet. It was really hard for him."

"You heard him," Zack scoffed. "He does what he wants."

"No, I think it's deeper than just being selfish. Apologizing means that you've done something wrong, and Genesis doesn't like being wrong. I don't think he thinks he's _allowed_ to be wrong."

"Are you saying the commander has self-esteem issues?"

Cloud shrugged. "He might."

Laughing, Zack ruffled the cadet's hair only to get his hand swatted. "Are you ever going to forgive him?"

"Maybe," he replied, starting off towards the Mess. "If I pass my test, then I will."

It was only when the cadet had gotten a few yards down the hall that Zack realized that Cloud hadn't forgiven him either.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** It's taken far, far too long, but I've _finally_ cleared my schedule to make room for fanfiction. I have a million new ideas, but my conscience won't allow me to start on any other multi-chapter projects until I finish_Making the Cut._ So, bust out the rear-view and fire up the jets, because I'm determined to finish this! We're actually closing in on the end relatively fast-I don't foresee there being any more than 25 chapters. However, I could be wrong. I've been wrong before.

_RegenesisX_


	20. Chapter 20

**MAKING THE CUT**

_"I told you. You can't live on that side anymore." ~ Genesis Rhapsodos_

**DAY 18**

When Cloud passed by the cadet training room the next evening, he was unsurprised to find Yuza there, firing shotgun rounds into a target on the opposite wall. He was beginning to grow accustomed to the older cadet's stoicism, but, tonight, Yuza barely spared him a glance. His normally passive expression was etched hard with concentration, and Cloud was certain he was imagining shooting something other than the target each time he pulled the trigger. As a rule, Cloud didn't like guns—they were loud and terrifying—but there was something tranquil about watching Yuza shoot.

Yuza lowered his gun, still staring at the bullet-ridden target. "I told Jadak that I didn't want to join SOLDIER."

That explained his sudden change in demeanor, then. "Did he not take it well?" Cloud asked, fully aware how stupid of a question that was. Of _course_ Jadak hadn't taken it well.

"I understand why he does what he does," Yuza sighed, "I just wish he wouldn't drag the rest of us into it with him."

"Why is Jadak so obsessed with getting into SOLDIER?"

Yuza hummed and shouldered his gun. "It isn't my story to tell. Perhaps you should ask him."

Then again, perhaps Cloud didn't want to know _that_ badly. "Are you still going to test next week?" he asked, changing the subject.

"I don't think I will."

"Are you going to go back home?"

A shadow passed over Yuza's face and he shook his head. "No," he said. "Not home."

"Well... What _are_ you going to do?" Cloud asked.

"I'm not sure," Yuza admitted.

"What about the Turks? Didn't you say they asked you to join them?"

"I've been thinking about that," Yuza replied. He bent over to scoop up some of the empty shells that littered the ground. Cloud crouched down to help him. "I don't even know if they still want me."

Cloud motioned to the target. "They'd be stupid not to take you."

Rolling a shell between his fingers, Yuza turned his eyes to the target as well. Cloud could see conflict clear in his face. It was no secret that Yuza would make a crazy good Turk. Yuza knew that, Cloud knew that, and Jadak probably knew that too.

"You're not thinking about apologizing to Jadak, are you?"

Yuza dropped his gaze to the ground. "I've never done anything without him and Zol," he murmured. "I could just apologize and join SOLDIER, then things would go back to normal."

For the first time since Cloud had known him, Yuza seemed vulnerable. _Human, _almost. For all Jadak's insanity and melodrama, it was obvious that Yuza dearly loved his younger brother. Without having any personal vendetta against him whatsoever, Yuza was still willing to put Cloud through Hell for Jadak's sake. Even if it was a little twisted, Cloud couldn't find it in him to fault the other cadet.

"What do _you_ want?" he asked.

"For Jadak to be happy." The answer was instant. It sounded rehearsed. "I don't want to be selfish."

"Wanting to have your own future isn't being selfish," Cloud argued. "You have an opportunity to join the _Turks_, and they're even more exclusive than SOLDIER. That's huge. Like, really huge."

A faint smile quirked onto Yuza's face. "I know."

"So you should do it. You joining the Turks doesn't affect Jadak getting into SOLDIER."

Yuza looked barely on the cusp of being convinced, so Cloud threw in another encouragement.

"Even if you are being selfish," he said, "you've totally earned your right to be."

Laughing softly, Yuza shook his head and turned away to put his gun away. "And what about you, Little Brother?" he asked. "What is it that you want?"

Cloud furrowed his brow, trailing after him. "What do you mean?"

"Why is it so important for you to join SOLDIER?"

Tifa's image swam into his mind and heat blossomed in Cloud's cheeks. He dropped his gaze to the ground. "I made a promise to someone back home," he murmured. "I don't want to let her down."

"I see," Yuza replied, smirking knowingly. Cloud was certain his whole face had gone red. "You have aspirations of becoming a hero."

Cloud shuffled his feet. "I'll never be a hero like Sephiroth, though."

"Does it really matter?" Yuza asked. "You can still be a hero, even if it's only to one person."

"I guess..." Cloud trailed off, nodding slowly. "I guess so."

Cloud fought the urge to squirm in discomfort as Yuza regarded him in silence for a few moments. "I am curious though," he finally said. "Why you?"

"Because I sucked?" Cloud offered.

Yuza scoffed. "I highly doubt General Sephiroth just pulled the idea of a bet out of thin air. Commander Rhapsodos had to have shown some interest in you beforehand."

The idea of Genesis being interested in him prior to the bet was so ridiculous, Cloud nearly laughed out loud. But then again, why _would_ have he agreed to train him? If what he'd observed was true, Genesis was only a risk-taker when the payoff would be worth his while, and showing Sephiroth up was definitely worth it to him.

"I don't know why," he answered, shrugging. "I haven't thought about it much."

"You should ask him, if it matters."

Did it really matter anymore? "I don't know if it does," Cloud said, sighing.

"Ask anyway," Yuza insisted. "You might get an interesting answer."

* * *

><p>"Kinda late for kids to be out and about, isn't it?"<p>

Yuza lifted his head at the sound of a voice coming off to his right and found himself face-to-face with the redheaded Turk, Reno. "Makes it less crowded," he replied.

Smirking, Reno sauntered over and sat down beside him on the bench. The usual chaos on LOVELESS Avenue had quieted somewhat, muted by nighttime sleepiness. Overhead stretched the black skies of Midgar, and Yuza suddenly found himself missing the stars.

"What happened to the rest of your posse?" Reno asked.

"They're not exactly _my_ posse at the moment."

"Oh. Sorry about that, yo. Lovers' quarrel?"

Yuza gave a dry chuckle. "Not quite. Some weird redhead's been stalking me."

One of Reno's eyebrows went up. "Oh yeah?" he prompted. "What'd he want?"

"He asked me if I wanted to join the Turks. Weird, right?"

"Only a little. What'd you tell him?"

"I told him I'd think about it."

"Have you thought about it?"

It would have been the perfect opportunity to brush Reno off once again to stall for more time. But the more time Yuza took, the more difficult to decision got. "I have," he said slowly. "And I think I'll take him up on that offer."

The grin that split Reno's face was so sickeningly happy that Yuza had to look away. "You should definitely pay him a visit then, yo," he said. "Drop by his office tomorrow morning."

"I'll make sure to do that." Yuza stood up and cast once last glance at the Turk before moving on down the street. "Goonight, Reno."

* * *

><p><strong>DAY 19<strong>

The limp in Cloud's step garnered many pitying looks from passersby as he parted ways with Genesis that morning. They all assumed the cadet had done something to get on the commander's bad side and felt sorry for whatever pain he was now forced to endure. This, however, was not the case for Cloud. The large bruise on his thigh was his doing; Genesis asserted that he'd hit himself with his own damn sword, regardless of how much Cloud pouted.

Pouting at Genesis was not allowed.

But even a bruise couldn't dampen Cloud's spirits. Training was going well, all things considered, and he was slowly gaining confidence that he just might pass his test after all. When he reached the Mess Hall, he spotted Yuza tucked away in a corner of the room and staggered over to join him.

"Rough day?" Yuza asked, raising a pale eyebrow.

Cloud plunked down across from him. "No, I just slipped up a little with my sword," he replied. "I'll be fine."

"Good."

Noticing how pensive the other cadet looked, Cloud ventured to ask, "Is everything okay?"

Yuza's response was immediate. "I spoke with Reno this morning."

"Reno, the Turk?" Cloud asked, recalling the day Zack had introduced them. The redhead seemed like a nice guy, even if he was a little strange. "What did he say? Are you joining them?"

"His superior, Tseng, is going to give me an evaluation later this week. Although, Reno is fairly certain I'll pass."

"Of course you will!" Cloud grinned, despite himself. He was happy for Yuza. "That's really great."

Yuza just shrugged, still looking a little crestfallen. "Jadak isn't happy about it."

"Are you happy with it, though?"

"...I am."

"Then that's what matters, right?"

After leaving Yuza in the Mess, Cloud took the elevator back down to the cadet barracks to change out of his training clothes before afternoon classes. His good mood quickly evaporated when he saw who was waiting for him in front of his door.

"Long time, no see, _Brother,"_ Jadak hissed, pushing off the wall to approach him.

Cloud's first instinct was to hightail it back to the elevator. For a split second, he totally froze, unsure what to do. Then he clenched his jaw and planted his feet, determined not to back down. If Yuza could stand up to Jadak, then so could he.

Granted, Yuza was a better fighter than he was, but he would cross that particular bridge when he came to it.

"Been sneaking off with your SOLDIER friend, by chance?"

"I've been training with Commander Rhapsodos," Cloud said. A little flame of pride sparked when Jadak's eyes widened at the sound of Genesis' name.

"_Commander Rhapsodos?"_ he echoed. "Why would _he_ want to have anything to do with _you?"_

_Well, you see, he and Sephiroth had a bet..._

No, not likely.

"I don't see why it matters to you," Cloud mumbled, praying for mercy _just_ this once.

It seemed the Goddess was listening, since Jadak had other things on his mind. "Whatever," he snapped. "You've been talking to Yuza."

Biting the inside of his cheek, Cloud nodded.

"I knew it! You're the one who convinced him to leave us to go join the Turks!"

Whoa, hold on? How could Jadak just jump to that conclusion? Cloud hadn't _done_ anything!

"N-No! I didn't," he protested. "A Turk asked him a few weeks ago."

Jadak's seafoam eyes narrowed. "I don't see why he didn't talk to _me_ about it."

"Maybe you guys just aren't that close."

That was, apparently, the wrong thing to say, because the air was knocked out of him when Jadak slammed him up against the wall. "Yuza and I _are_ close," he growled. "We've _always_ been close. I talk to him and he talks to me. And I certainly didn't tell him to join the Turks, so it must've been you."

Cloud's heart was fluttering and he tried to relax, but it was hard when Jadak's nails were digging into his arms. "Can't he make his own choices?" he asked.

"Of course! But we agreed—we all agreed—to join SOLDIER. That's what we came here to do." With a frustrated snarl, Jadak released Cloud only to start pacing in front of him. "Why would he just betray us like this if _someone _hadn't convinced him to?"

"Yuza told me he never wanted to join SOLDIER," Cloud said softly.

There was a beat of silence, and then Jadak laughed. "Don't be ridiculous," he said, but Cloud could've sworn he heard just a hint of panic enter his voice. "Yuza wouldn't have _lied_ to us."

"He just wanted to make you happy," he peeped.

"Happy?" Jadak's expression darkened. "He can't make me happy."

All of a sudden, Cloud realized that none of this was about him. He'd always wondered why Jadak picked on him so much, besides the obvious fact that he was pathetic, but had never taken the time to sit down and think about it. Jadak definitely had a bone to pick with someone; he just took it out on Cloud because he could.

This knowledge alone was enough to make him risk his life and pipe up with the question that had been digging at his brain for the past twenty-four hours.

"Why do you need to get into SOLDIER so badly?"

"That's none of your business," Jadak snapped, looking away.

And then words just kept on tumbling out of his mouth. "I promised my friend that I would," he found himself saying, "so that I can be there to save her whenever she needs me."

Silence descended, making Cloud more than just a little bit uncomfortable. Strands of platinum hair hung in Jadak's face, obscuring part of it from view. He never got much of a chance to look at Jadak—he was usually covering his face with his hands or closing his eyes—but he was struck by how young he was. He couldn't have been any older than fifteen. Sixteen, at the most. He was probably younger than Cloud.

"That's stupid," Jadak finally said, then stalked off.

When he disappeared down the hall, Cloud let out a shuddering breath and slid to the floor.

Thank the Goddess for small miracles.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** The next chapter will catapult us into the next week (the last week), the day before the test. Things will happen and we'll get back to Genesis and it'll be a good time. Then we'll have the test, followed by an epilogue. Depending on the length of events that have decided to take place beforehand, the test may or may not take place in chapter 21.

Thank you to everyone who has reviewed, followed, and favorited this story! It means so much to me that you've all been reading, especially after such a long time in between updates. You have my sincerest apologies for that; my next multi-chapter stories will be handled much differently from this one. However, _Making the Cut _is as _Making the Cut_ does, and it can bask in its own hashed-together glory.

_RegenesisX_


	21. Chapter 21

**MAKING THE CUT**

_"Hello and, again, welcome to the Aperture Science computer aided enrichment center. We hope your brief detention in the relaxation vault has been a pleasant one. Your specimen has been processed and we are now ready to begin the test proper. Before we start, however, keep in mind that although fun and learning are the primary goals of all enrichment center activities, serious injuries may occur. For your own safety, and the safety of others, please refrain from—_" ~ GLaDOS

**DAY 20-28**

The days of the week preceding the test blurred together in Cloud's mind. Genesis had pulled their training sessions forward earlier in the morning, and Cloud found himself tumbling out of bed at ungodly hours and sluggishly trudging up to the SOLDIER floor, still half-asleep. Fifteen minutes of Genesis chasing him around with Firaga usually jolted him awake and forced his clumsy feet to figure themselves out. While Cloud was busy checking his uniform for flames after 'warm-up,' Genesis plunked him down and went over how he would be tortured for the next several hours. Then, they trained. And trained. Then they broke for lunch and Cloud had just enough time to wolf down a few bites of food before training some more.

Genesis had given him the day off the day before his test, and Cloud's sore muscles were grateful. He slept through his roommates shooting him dirty looks as they left for class early that morning, and didn't wake up until well past noon. When he finally floated back to consciousness, he allowed himself the leisure of lounging in bed and staring at the second-hand ticking by on his alarm clock. By ten to one, Cloud's stomach was in dire need of nourishment, so he rolled out of bed and moseyed up to the Mess. It wasn't until the other cadets started giving him weird looks that he realized he was still in his pajamas.

It was a good day.

A quick scan confirmed that neither Jadak nor Zol were in the cafeteria, not that Cloud was particularly concerned about running into them anymore. Ever since his last conversation with Jadak, the other cadet had avoided him like the plague. Cloud wasn't sure why; he hadn't put on a terrifying show of strength or anything like that, but he wasn't about to look a gift chocobo in the mouth.

Joining the end of the line, Cloud grabbed a tray and peered at the menu. They were serving the beef again—although, just because it read 'beef' didn't necessitate that it _was_ beef. It didn't really look like beef, or smell like beef, and just as Cloud started to contemplate whether to risk his health or just stick with a salad, he became aware of the hush that had fallen over the room. A set of footsteps was the most prominent sound in the room, clearly audible over the murmur of conversation.

A hand landed on his shoulder just as he was about to look for the source of the sudden lack of commotion. Cloud turned to face Commander Rhapsodos, who looked more than a little uncomfortable surrounded by cadets.

"What are you doing here?" Cloud asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Fair said I might find you down here," Genesis replied. "After you eat, would you mind coming by my office?"

"Oh... Well, I promised Yuza I would help him move his stuff out of his room this afternoon."

"Whenever you're done, then. Lazard hasn't scheduled me to do anything besides sit around my office all day. I think he's still pissed off about me dropping that mission I was so adamant about taking." Genesis huffed, rolled his shoulders back, and straightened his coat. "I don't know why he won't let it go. It's not like it was never taken care of."

"I'm sure the Director will eventually come to his senses," Cloud said.

"Let us hope so. The company would be lost without me." With a dramatic flip of his hair, Genesis pivoted on his heel and began to stride away. "I'll see you later," he called over his shoulder.

Cloud waved at him, then turned back to the menu. The lunchroom chatter steadily began to pick up again. After several seconds of careful deliberation, Cloud decided to err on the side of caution and just have a salad; he and Yuza could sneak out later for Wutain. It was then that he realized the two cadets in line ahead of him were staring at him.

"...What?" Cloud asked, shrinking back. Was there something on his face? He casually wiped his nose, just in case.

"Was that Commander Rhapsodos?" the shorter of the two, a wiry boy with dirty blond hair, asked. _"Theeee_ Commander Rhapsodos?"

Eying him warily, Cloud nodded. "Yeah...?"

"Are you friends with him?" the other asked. He was taller than the blond, with short brown hair and grey eyes.

"Something like that, yeah," Cloud replied.

The blond laughed, rocking back on his heels. "Boy, would I hate to be you!"

"Zidane!" the brunet exclaimed, giving his companion a rough shove.

"No, it's fine," Cloud assured him. He fussed with the hem of his oversized t-shirt and looked down at his feet. "I know how he is towards the rest of the cadets."

"Still, that doesn't mean Zidane can't learn when to shut his mouth."

"Hey!"

The brunet tapped his lower lip, regarding Cloud thoughtfully. "I know you. You're in our class, aren't you?"

Cloud shrugged, then nodded again when the two cadets started looking a little more familiar. Faces were difficult to memorize when he spent most of his time avoiding his classmates. "Yeah, I'm pretty sure."

"I thought so," the brunet said, smiling triumphantly. "I'm Bartz Klauser. This is Zidane Tribal."

"Cloud Strife."

Zidane grinned. "Nice to meet ya." He turned to tug on the sleeve of the dark-haired guy in front of him. "Hey! Hey, meet this guy! He's friends with Commander Rhapsodos!"

Cloud shrunk back a little when he caught sight of the scar splitting the dark-haired guy's stormy expression and dearly hoped he wasn't getting himself into more trouble.

"What do you want, Zidane?"

"This guy! He's friends with Commander Rhapsodos!"

The tough-looking cadet regarded him with something akin to suspicion, then stepped forward, shouldering his way between Bartz and Zidane. Cloud's eyes popped open wide when he thrust out a hand. A beat of awkward silence passed before Cloud realized he was supposed to shake it.

"Squall Leonhart," the dark-haired cadet informed him in a bored tone.

"Um, Cloud." Squall's grip was quite firm and Cloud found himself squirming slightly in discomfort. "Cloud Strife."

Squall took a step back and crossed his arms, leaning against the lunch counter. "So, you're friends with the commander, huh?"

Cloud still wasn't sure they were exactly friends—kind of like how he wasn't sure he and Yuza were exactly friends—but decided to roll with it. "Uh, yeah. Yeah, I am."

"How'd you manage that?"

Scratching the back of his head, Cloud fumbled for a response. "Well, you see..." Would they be jealous and hate him if he told them the truth? But even if they did, what did he have to lose? "I've kind of been training with him."

Bartz and Zidane gaped at him; even Squall looked vaguely impressed. "Really?" Zidane asked.

"Y-Yeah..." Cloud squeezed his eyes shut, preparing himself for the inevitable barbed remark about how he wasn't _worthy_ of such attention from a SOLDIER.

"That is _so_ cool!"

_I knew it. They hate me. They think I'm—_

Cloud blinked open his eyes only to discover Zidane had gotten uncomfortably close.

_Cool?_

Squall pinched the back of Zidane's shirt and dragged him backwards several feet. The distance didn't deter the blond's mouth from continuing to run, however. "Are you really? What's he like? Does he teach you cool stuff? Oh, oh! Can you teach _me_ something?"

"Calm down," Bartz chided, even though he looked just as excited. "Come to think of it, you haven't been in combat class very much over the past few weeks. Is that where you've been?"

"Yeah," Cloud replied. He could feel his cheeks starting to heat up in embarrassment.

"Are you testing tomorrow?" Squall asked.

Cloud nodded. "Are you guys?"

"Yep!" Zidane rested one hand on his hip and pointed at himself with his thumb. "Soon you'll be saying hello to Zidane Tribal, SOLDIER Third Class!"

Rolling his eyes, Bartz elbowed him. "You just want to pass your test so you can go on a date with the Information Desk lady."

"I do not!" Zidane argued. "But you have to admit, she's pretty cute."

"She's, like, ten years older than you!"

"C'mon, gimme a break! It's not like ShinRa is exactly swarming with hot chicks. I'll take what I can get."

"Which is probably going to be nothing."

"Hey, it's tough work being a teenage heartthrob." Zidane wagged his eyebrows at Squall. "Right, Squaller?"

Squall's eyes narrowed threateningly. "Don't call me that."

"If he'd drop the whole sullen attitude, he'd be a real hit with the ladies," Zidane told Cloud. "Doncha think?"

Cloud looked helplessly between Zidane and Squall. "I... guess?"

Zidane let out a victorious cheer, throwing a hand up in the air. Squall facepalmed.

"See, Squally? I told ya, so."

"Don't _call_ me that."

Turning back to Cloud, Zidane leaned forward expectantly. "So, what do you say? You wanna come sit with us?"

Sit with a group of cadets in his class who thought he was cool?

Cloud smiled.

"Sure."

* * *

><p>The Avon's room in the barracks was not the torture chamber Cloud had believed it to be for the past several months. It was, in fact, just a regular room. It had beds and a closet and clothes strewn about on the floor and a random assortment of other things lying around. Jadak had likely claimed the single bed right away, leaving Zol and Yuza with the bunk bed. Yuza had graciously taken the top bunk because, as the other cadet told him, Zol was afraid of heights.<p>

Being a habitually neat person and not having many possessions in the first place, packing Yuza's things didn't take long. It was left unspoken between the two cadets that neither would linger long lest Jadak return to the room.

"Would you mind putting the rest of these in that bag?" Yuza asked, pointing at the last small pile of clothes on the bed. "I'm going to visit the restroom."

"Sure," Cloud replied. He took his time carefully placing the clothes inside, as Yuza nearly had an aneurism when he'd initially began stuffing them in haphazardly. Once he'd gotten them all inside, he zipped up the bag, shouldered it, and stood up. When he got up to take the bag outside, he accidentally caught his foot on the foot of the bed and stumbled straight into the dresser. A helmet and the pair of gloves sitting on top of it tumbled to the floor. Cloud set the bag down to pick them back up, muttering under his breath. A folded piece of paper fluttered out from underneath the helmet. He scooped up the paper, about to place it on the dresser as well, when he caught sight of Jadak's name written in a neat script.

Was it a letter? Curiosity got the better of him and Cloud unfolded the paper to read.

_Jadak—_

_It's been two weeks, why haven't you written? My son always wrote me while he was in Midgar. He always found time to write his mother. He sent me presents too. I've received chocolates from a little shop on LOVELESS Avenue, a new shawl from somewhere in Sector 5—I can't remember the name of the shop, but..._

And it went on like that, listing gifts and complaining about not receiving a letter. Cloud continued scanning the letter, bits and pieces jumping out at him. A comment about SOLDIER Seconds, something about wanting Jadak to come home for a reunion celebration, the writer's poor health...

Cloud's attention was drawn from the letter at the sound of the door opening again. "Hey, Yuza? What..."

He trailed off because the person standing in the doorway was _not_ Yuza. It was Jadak, and he looked absolutely livid. He stomped over and tore the letter from Cloud's hands, crushing it into a ball. Cloud's jaw flapped in soundless horror as he searched for something, _anything, _to say.

"I-I didn't mean to read it! I bumped the dresser and it fell and I was picking it up—I'm so sorry, Jadak, I—"

"Just go," Jadak hissed through his teeth.

"I'm really sorry," Cloud whispered.

"_Get. Out."_

Cloud skittered out the door, slamming straight into Yuza when he reached the hallway. "S-Sorry," he stammered.

Yuza caught his shoulders to steady him, peering into the room. "What happened?"

"I-I accidentally saw a letter a-and Jadak came back, and..."

"Make him _leave, _Yuza," Jadak yelled.

Yuza sighed. "I'll see you later, Cloud," he said.

Wrapping his trembling arms around himself, Cloud nodded. "Y-Yeah. Later."

As he walked back down the hallway to his room, he berated himself. He should never have read the letter. But there was no going back to change it. Now he could only wonder who wrote it—it sounded like it might've been Jadak's mother. It sounded like he hadn't contacted her in a while. What was she so upset about?

* * *

><p>Genesis was coming extremely close to smashing his computer by the time Cloud poked his head into his office. He'd been playing solitaire on it for the past two hours, and he'd won a grand total of two out of his eighty-three matches. Either solitaire was much more difficult than he remembered, or the computer was cheating. He was inclined to believe the latter.<p>

"You wanted to see me, sir?" Cloud prompted.

"You can drop the formalities, Strife," Genesis said. He sighed and tangled his hands in his hair. "It's been a long day."

Cloud crossed the room and plunked down in the chair across from him. "You too, huh?"

"Would you like to go first, or should I?"

"Well..." Cloud pulled his legs up to sit cross-legged and drummed his fingers on his boots. "I did something really bad."

Genesis raised an eyebrow. "I'm listening."

"I was helping Yuza get his things out of the barracks and I accidentally knocked some things off the dresser. When I went to pick them up, I saw this paper and I just..." Cloud shifted uncomfortably. "Well, I read it. It was a letter to Jadak, from his mom, I think."

"What did the letter say?"

"She was complaining about not hearing from him. It was really weird, because she kept mentioning someone and calling him 'my son,' but I don't think she meant Yuza or Zol since she referred to him in the past tense."

"Sounds like they may have had an older sibling. Where's the bad part?"

"Jadak walked in while I was reading the letter."

"Oh. I see."

"So, if my throat is slit in the middle of the night, at least you'll know why."

"I think you're being melodramatic," Genesis chided. "Has Yuza ever talked to you about his home?"

Cloud shook his head. "No. And whenever I ask him about Jadak, he tells me I should ask _him._ But how am I supposed to do that? It's not like I can just strike up random conversation with him whenever I want."

Leaning back in his chair, Genesis thought for a few moments. "Everyone always carries around more baggage besides material possessions," he said. "It wouldn't strike me as unusual at all if Jadak had problems at home."

"But why is he so mean?" Cloud asked. "If he's trying to escape bad stuff back home, wouldn't he be happier here?"

"We all have choices, Cloud. Jadak has made the choice to deal with his anger by letting it out on other people instead of doing something constructive with it."

_Like me._

Genesis bit the inside of his cheek and dropped his gaze to his desk.

"Did you ever have problems at home?" Cloud asked.

"Not really," Genesis replied. Growing up as a Mayor's son had both privileged him and isolated him. "I didn't exactly lead a charmed life, but we were happy. For what it's worth."

"Why do you need everyone to be afraid of you?"

Cloud's tone was soft, conversational, and completely void of accusation. When Genesis glanced up, he found the cadet gazing at him steadily. There was no fear in his eyes. He had asked a question, and now he expected an answer.

If only Genesis had one.

The silence in the room was unsettling and he found himself saying words until he could formulate a coherent response. "I think that... maybe..."

Cloud waited.

"...Perhaps... I've accepted the fact that I'm never going to be as great as Sephiroth." The words were painful, but on some level, he knew they were true. "Now I just do what I can. Sephiroth may be the most revered, but I am the most feared."

It sounded awful, saying it out loud. He couldn't get by on charisma and skills, so he settled for intimidation. What was he doing with his life?

"I'm not afraid of you," Cloud said.

"We've been though a lot, Strife," Genesis replied, chuckling. "I should hope not."

"But I don't think I was ever _afraid_ you," the cadet went on, half to himself. "You were confusing and frustrating, and I got mad at you, but you never scared me." He blinked, refocusing. "Do you ever get scared?"

Genesis scoffed. "I've been though _war_. Of course I get scared."

"But you can't get scared when you're at war," Cloud said. "Can you?"

Scooting his chair back, Genesis stood up and walked to the front of his desk. He perched on the edge, crossing one leg over the other. "We are called to be brave," he said. "Being brave doesn't mean we aren't afraid. Bravery is when you have the resolve to push through your fear."

"I'm really scared about my test tomorrow," Cloud admitted.

"Be brave, Cloud," Genesis said, smiling. "You're going to do fine."

The door slid open and the esteemed General Sephiroth stepped in. He looked up from his stack of papers, saw Cloud, and paused. "Am I interrupting something?"

Cloud twisted in his chair, then hastily turned back, look up at Genesis with wide eyes. The commander couldn't help laughing. "No, you haven't," he replied. "What can I do for you, Sephiroth?"

"Lazard sent me to give you these," Sephiroth said, stepping forward to set the papers on his desk.

"Wonderful. Now I can stop playing solitaire." Genesis motioned to the pale cadet in the chair. "I don't believe you two have been formally introduced. Cloud, meet General Sephiroth. Sephiroth, this is Cloud Strife."

Cloud shakily rose to his feet and saluted, looking like he might pass out. Or throw up. "P-Pleasure to m-meet you, S-sir."

They shook. "I've heard a lot about you, Cadet Strife," Sephiroth said, shooting a brief glance at Genesis. "Your cadet entrance exam is tomorrow?"

"U-um, yes, Sir. It is." Cloud swallowed, fidgeted with his gloves, and squirmed in place. It was more than a little amusing to watch. "With... With all due respect, Sir..."

One of Sephiroth's silver eyebrows went up.

"...But... Genesis is going to win your bet, Sir."

_Be brave, Cloud._

The general smiled. "I certainly hope he does."

* * *

><p><strong>DAY 29<strong>

**THE TEST**

Cloud noticed that Jadak hung back by his locker while the other cadets filed into the training room. This would be his last chance to talk to him before the test started. Filling his mind with brave thoughts, Cloud approached him.

"H-Hey, Jadak?"

"What do you want?" the other cadet snapped.

_Well, he's still mad._ "I just wanted to apologize again," Cloud said, carefully reciting what he had rehearsed the previous night. "I shouldn't have read the letter. It was wrong of me to invade your privacy."

_"__Tch."_ Jadak spun around to lean against his locker. "Figures you would've been the one to find it." He was quiet for a moment, drumming his fingers on the blue metal. "What did it say?"

"What do you mean?" Cloud asked, confused. "Didn't you read it?"

"I've stopped reading her letters. Yuza and Zol read them, but I don't."

"Why not?"

"Because I've already heard everything she has to say. Why should I have to read the same thing over and over?"

"She said she hasn't heard from you in a few weeks."

Jadak slammed his fist into the locker. "I have nothing to say to her."

"It's your mother, isn't it?" Cloud asked. When Jadak nodded, he continued. "She kept mentioning someone in her letter... Who is it?"

_"__Was,"_ Jadak corrected. He paced back and forth a few times across the locker room before speaking again. "It wasn't always just us. Yuza, Zol, and I. Before, there was _him. _Phirseroth."

Cloud briefly contemplated asking where his mom came up with all of their names, but decided it was better to just like Jadak talk.

"He was the oldest. When he was sixteen, he went off to join SOLDIER. I was only seven. He made it all the way to Second Class, but he was killed in Wutai." Jadak stopped in his pacing. "Things were never the same at home after that. Mother was never the same. She's kept his room for the past five years, like she's expecting him to come home. Every year we have this... this... _reunion_, she calls it, on the anniversary of his death."

"I'm really sorry," Cloud said softly.

"I hate it!" Jadak spun and kicked one of the lockers, leaving a sizeable dent in the metal. "He's all she ever talks about and I'm sick of it!"

"Is that why you want to make SOLDIER so badly?" Cloud asked. "So she'll talk about you instead?"

Jadak laughed harshly, raking his hair back. "It's stupid, isn't it? To think that my mother would love a SOLDIER First instead of her son?" he asked, clenching his hands. "Maybe it is stupid. But it's the only truth I have."

A heavy silence fell between them while Cloud digested what had just been revealed to him. The idea of being stuck, struggling to get out from under the weight of the past seemed overwhelming and impossible. And yet, Jadak had spent his entire life trying to do it.

"You're going to make a great SOLDIER, Jadak," he said at last. "You don't need anyone's help to do that. But I hope, when you get there, you can look back and be proud of your own accomplishments."

Jadak's fists tightened. "What good is pride if no one can share it?"

"Yuza and Zol will always be proud of you." Cloud took a tentative step forward. "And I will be too."

"You're funny, Brother," Jadak said. But when he clapped a hand down on Cloud's shoulder to give him a shove, the hostility was gone. It was light, playful.

"Good luck out there," Cloud said.

Jadak turned towards the locker room door. "Thanks, but you need it much more than I do."

They entered the training room just as Instructor Davis began belting out instructions. Jadak took up his usual place beside Zol and Cloud was waved over by Bartz and squashed in between him and Squall. He quickly turned his attention to Davis.

"Alright, kids, listen up!" he bellowed. "Today, you're all being evaluated as to whether or not you'll be a good fit for SOLDIER. Those of you who are will continue through the cadet program, and eventually become SOLDIER Thirds. Those of you who aren't will either join the regular army or be sent home."

Cloud shuffled his feet nervously. The last thing he wanted was to go back home. Not after he'd gotten this far.

"You alright?" Squall whispered.

"Fine," Cloud replied, trying to keep his voice from quivering. "I'm fine."

Instructor Davis clapped his hands together. "Now, for your actual test, you will be split into two teams and armed with wooden training swords. Each of you will be clipped with an electronic device with a flag attached to it. The goal is to remove the flags from all of your opponents. When your flag is pulled off, your device will trigger and you will be ejected from the simulation."

"This is gonna be fun," Cloud heard Zidane whisper excitedly to Bartz.

"Each of your individual progress will be monitored. I expect you all to work with your teammates and show courtesy towards your opponents." Davis' gaze lingered on Zol for a few moments before he went on. "This isn't a brawl—this is a strategic exercise. Any questions?"

The cadets were then divvied up into two teams on opposite sides of the room. Cloud ended up with Bartz, Squall, and Zol, while Zidane and Jadak were on the opposing team. Swords were handed out, helmets were pulled on, and Cloud had only a few minutes to panic before they were immersed in a simulation of Midgar's streets.

* * *

><p>"Well, I must admit, he's doing considerably better than he was the first test," Angeal remarked. "It helps that he doesn't have any monsters to confuse as his teammates."<p>

"And he's only tripped twice," Sephiroth added.

Genesis rolled his eyes, doing his best to ignore his friends' sarcasm. "Admit it. Neither of you thought he'd even make it this far."

"To be fair, he hasn't shown a whole lot of progress yet," Sephiroth said. "After all, he's let the other two cadets he's with do all of the fighting."

"I know. That's because I told him to do that," Genesis replied, kicking his feet up on the edge of the control board. At the general's quizzical look, he elaborated. "He doesn't have the endurance for this kind of extended combat yet. I advised him to stay out of battle until it became absolutely necessary to engage himself."

"Ah." Angeal nodded, smiling. "You told him to play stealthy."

"It's just as handy to be able to keep under your enemy's radar as it is to be able to fight them."

"But _can _he fight them?" Sephiroth asked.

Genesis smirked. "You'll see."

* * *

><p>Cloud kept his back to the alley wall as he scanned the main drag of LOVELESS Avenue. He'd split up with Squall and Bartz to check around Sector 8, but so far he hadn't encountered anyone. Every instruction Genesis had ever given him was on loop inside his head, repeating over and over the things he needed to remember. Keep quiet, stay sharp, don't get distracted, relax, breathe.<p>

When he turned around to head back down the alley, he had to swallow the shriek that bubbled up in his throat when the tip of a wooden sword brushed his nose. Its wielder was helmeted, they all were, but his slender frame and small stature immediately gave him away as Jadak. Cloud backed out onto the street, raising his own weapon. Jadak advanced on him.

LOVELESS Avenue was quiet and deserted, but after slinking through narrow side streets, it felt much too exposed. Steeling his resolve, Cloud planted his feet and refused to move back any father. He stared Jadak down through his helmet and knew the other cadet recognized him as well. They stood, motionless. Jadak finally made the first move.

Cloud shifted into his well-practiced defensive stance on instinct, blocking Jadak. Their swords met with a dull clunk, then again as Jadak drew back to take another swing. The other cadet wasn't as fast as Genesis was, but his skill level was impressive for not even being a SOLDIER. Cloud kept his sword in motion, always moving, always ready to block Jadak's next strike, but something felt off. Fighting him was difficult in a way fighting Genesis wasn't. It wasn't until Cloud narrowly missed having a tooth knocked out by the end of the other cadet's sword that he realized what it was.

Jadak was left-handed.

All at once, Cloud knew what he needed to do.

He spied the flag hanging off Jadak's belt on his left hip, protected by his sword. In order to grab it, he would have to reach all the way across to Jadak's left side with his left arm. Jadak could easily swat his hand out of the way and make a grab for his own flag. Cloud danced to the side, then ducked and rolled out of the way when Jadak swung for his head. Somehow, he thought, he had to get Jadak to turn around. His defense was likely better than the other cadet had anticipated, but he couldn't keep it up forever.

What to do, what to do?

Jadak pulled his sword back in a move that Cloud recognized as one that could lead to him winding up disarmed. Instead of shifting in position to defend himself, however, Cloud let his sword fall to the ground with a gasp.

"Dear Gaia," he exclaimed, pointing over Jadak's shoulder. "What is _that?!"_

In the split second that he turned, attention diverted, Cloud darted forward and snatched the flag off his belt. Jadak vanished, fizzling away in pixels of simulation fragments, leaving Cloud alone on LOVELESS Avenue.

Cloud smirked down at the flag in his hand. "Didn't think you'd fall for that."

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** I apologize for my current inability to write fight sequences. I'll learn eventually, I just need to write more of them. I also apologize for adding in Zidane, Bartz, and Squall, but I didn't want to come up with more half-baked characters of my own for that scene. I don't apologize for the length of this chapter, though.

This is the final real chapter. Next will be the epilogue.

Holy cow, guys.

_RegenesisX_


	22. Dawn of a New Day

**MAKING THE CUT**

**DAWN OF A NEW DAY**

"_Hey... Would you say that I became a hero?" ~ Zack Fair_

It had been hard for Cloud to sleep last night, worrying about the results. Their unofficial standings had been announced immediately after the test was finished, but they played a very small role—if one at all—in Director Lazard's decision of who to select for SOLDIER. Jadak and Zidane's team had ended up winning the challenge. Cloud later found out that Zidane had grown up in the slums as a pickpocket, thus giving him the advantage. Jadak managed to eliminate four cadets, including Bartz shortly before Cloud had knocked him out of the game. Zol lost his flag to Zidane, and cadets were slowly picked off until Zidane and Squall were the only ones left in the field. The showdown was epic, according to Zidane, who had emerged the victor and overall champion of the exercise.

Jadak, Zol, and Cloud's new-found friends were all SOLDIER shoe-ins for sure. Cloud, on the other hand, had only one flag to his name. Not two minutes after eliminating Jadak, Zidane had materialized out of nowhere and snatched his flag. There were no hard feelings, of course; it was impossible to be angry at Zidane, but Cloud hoped Genesis wouldn't be disappointed in him. He'd done his best.

Now, as Cloud stood in line with the other cadets, it was time to see if his best had been good enough. There were no second chances—this was it. He either made the cut, or he didn't.

"Before we get to the results, I want to congratulate all of you," Instructor Davis said. "Your test performances were some of the best I've seen in all my years of teaching this class. But, as you know, only those the Director feels are a good fit for SOLDIER will be chosen."

Davis opened the folder he was holding and pulled out a sheet of paper. Cloud's chest tightened in anticipation. His future could be on that paper.

"Our newest future SOLDIER recruits are..."

"You okay?" Squall asked out of the corner of his mouth.

Cloud realized he was holding his stomach and dropped his hands. "F-Fine."

"...Jadak Avon, Zol Avon, Walsh Burns..."

Goddess, this was torture! Cloud wanted to run up and rip the paper from Davis' hands. Why did his last name have to start with an S?

"...Bartz Klauser, Demetrius Koral, Squall Leonhart..."

_Please, please, please, please, pleasepleasepleaseplease let me be on that list, please..._

"...George Peters, Remil Raster, Cloud Strife, and Zidane Tribal."

_Please please pleeeeaaaa—wait._

He'd been so caught up in his panicked begging that he missed the actual moment when his name was called.

"D-Did he say my name?" Cloud hissed at Squall.

"Yeah, weren't you listening?"

_AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!_

Unable to contain himself, Cloud bounced in place and slapped his hands over his mouth to prevent the scream inside his head from exiting out through his mouth. He did it! He did it!

He... He really did it.

Instructor Davis wrapped up his speech, but Cloud wasn't listening. By the time he managed to wander out of his daze, the class was being dismissed. Zidane let out a whoop, tackling Bartz with a hug. He made to smother Squall next, but the taller cadet's stony glare made him turn and crush Cloud instead. His ribcage was in danger of collapsing from the pressure, but Cloud hardly noticed.

"We made it, Cloud!" Zidane exclaimed when he pulled away.

"Y-Yeah." Cloud felt himself nod. "We did it."

"We're gonna be SOLDIERS!" Bartz cheered. "This calls for a celebration! Let's all go out for pizza tonight."

"What time is it? I've gotta catch the Sector 5 train down to the slums. Baku is _not_ going to believe this."

"That's because Baku thought you were going to get distracted flirting with everyone."

"Shut up, Bartz."

As the cadets began to filter out, some elated and others disappointed, Cloud caught sight of Jadak and Zol across the room.

"Hey, we're gonna go down to the Mess," Bartz said, nudging Cloud's shoulder. "You coming?"

"In a second," Cloud replied. They parted ways and he turned to Jadak. The other cadet regarded him with a calculating gaze, arms folded tightly across his chest. He knew.

"That was a cute trick," Jadak drawled, slowly approaching. "But I'm afraid I won't be falling for it again."

Cloud swallowed, taking an unconscious step backwards. Jadak may not have killed him when he found out about Genesis or saw him reading the letter, but he was going to die now. At least he'd had a chance to prove himself first.

Jadak halted in front of him. He didn't say anything for a long time and Cloud could feel the sweat starting to soak into his uniform under his arms.

_What is he waiting for?_

"Well played, Brother."

Cloud opened his mouth to reply before he even had words. Was that... a _compliment?_ "A-Aren't you mad?" he asked, incredulous.

Jadak laughed. "Of course I am. But we both got what we wanted in the end, didn't we?"

"I... Well, yeah."

"Besides, now that you're going to be a SOLDIER too, I have as much time as I want to make you miserable." There was a distinct bounce in Jadak's step as he turned to leave. "We'll see you in class, Cloud."

Cloud barely had time to process the fact that he was not dead before he found himself being wrapped up in a tight embrace. He squeaked, flailing a little when his feet left the ground.

"I missed playing with you, Brother," Zol said.

"Uh, y-yeah. Thanks."

Once he was released, Cloud pressed a hand over his chest. If anyone else hugged him, he was going to break a rib.

"See you!"

Cloud watched Zol run to catch up with Jadak and mused over the sudden turn of events. Life may not have been perfect, but things were finally starting to look up. Smiling to himself, he walked to the training room doors. Outside, Zack and Yuza were waiting for him.

"Took you long enough," Zack said. He looked like he might burst any second. "So? What happened? Did you pass?"

Cloud sucked in a deep breath for drama. "I did."

"Yeah!" Zack pumped a fist in the air, then did a few excited squats. "I knew you'd do it!"

"Congratulations, Cloud," Yuza said, smiling. It was the first real smile Cloud had gotten from him.

"Now we'll get to train and go on missions together! It's gonna be great, Spiky."

"Commander Rhapsodos will be pleased to hear you've passed," Yuza added.

At the mention of Genesis, Cloud's face fell.

Zack's excitement turned to concern. "What's wrong, Cloud?"

It hadn't occurred to him until yesterday, a few hours before the test. "Well... the test is over," he murmured. "I don't have any reason to see him anymore."

"He's a SOLDIER First, Cloud. It's not like you'll never see him again," Zack said. "I'm sure you'll run into him when you're a Third."

Cloud appreciated Zack's attempt at cheering him up, but it wouldn't be the same. He didn't want to run into Genesis in the hallways just so he could salute him and be on his way, or be one of the many nameless cadets sent on a mission alongside him. But Zack was right; Genesis was a SOLDIER First Class, and Cloud was only a cadet. The test was over. In a few weeks, Genesis would forget all about him.

"Go stop by his office," Yuza urged, "at least to tell him you passed in person."

Cloud nodded. "Yeah, I think I will."

"Hey, you wanna go out to celebrate tonight?" Zack asked.

"I am. With some other cadets who passed." Cloud glanced between Zack and Yuza. "Do you guys want to come? I'm sure they won't mind."

"Sounds great!" Zack replied, grinning.

Yuza examined his nails, feigning disinterest. "I think the Turks can spare me for one night."

* * *

><p><em>Infinite in mystery, is the gift of the goddess. We seek it thus, and take to the sky. Ripples form on the water's surface; the wandering soul knows no rest...<em>

A soft rapping on his office door startled Genesis out of his reverie. "Come in," he called, shuffling papers to make it look like he was doing work in the event Lazard happened to be prowling the SOLDIER floor again. However, it was only Cloud.

_Only Cloud._

"Good morning, Strife," he greeted, leaning back in his chair.

The cadet didn't respond. He scuffled in and took a seat on the leather chair facing the desk, tucking his legs up to his chest. "I passed my test," he said in a quiet voice.

Of course, Genesis knew already—he'd been hanging over Lazard's shoulder for the past twelve hours. While it had everything to do with witnessing the moment the Director made his decision, it may have also had something to do with the fact that he'd gotten an absolute _riot_ out of Cloud faking Jadak out and he'd wanted to watch it again. "You don't seem all that enthusiastic about it," he commented.

Cloud's head shot up. "Oh, I'm happy, I'm just..." He sighed, lowering his head again. "I've been doing a lot of thinking over the past few days, and there's something I said to you that isn't true."

"Oh? And what would that be?"

"When I found out about the bet... I told you that you'd never be a hero."

Genesis flinched, and was grateful Cloud wasn't looking. "I... remember that, yes."

"I was really wrong about that," the cadet said. "Because I've realized that being a hero doesn't really have anything to do with the number of lives you save, the monsters you kill, or the wars you win. It's not whether you're remembered or how popular are or how much media coverage you get. Heroes are the ones who make changes. Maybe it wasn't intentional, but you made a change in my life and I can't thank you enough for that."

_Is that really all it takes...?_

It took Genesis several moments to find his voice. "I've been thinking too. I've been thinking that perhaps... Perhaps I don't really have what it takes to become the kind of hero I've wanted to be."

"You don't have to be a hero to the masses, Genesis," Cloud said, sneaking a peek at him out of the corner of his eye. "You only need one person, and... you're a hero to me."

"...Thank you, Cloud."

Cloud unfolded himself and stood up. "Well, that's what I wanted to say, so I guess I'll let you get back to your paperwork."

_I'm his hero._

He was halfway to the door when Genesis jumped up from his chair. "Cloud, wait." Rounding his desk, he approached the cadet. Nerves bubbled in his stomach. "I know there are things I've said and done that I have no right to ask forgiveness for, but I want you to know how proud I am of you." The words came fast and his hands wouldn't stop moving to hide the fact that they were shaking. "You've managed to find your own success despite everyone who tried to cut you down, but you've also helped me a great deal."

"I have?"

"You taught me that there is value in humility. That just because I'm not the best doesn't mean I can't be accepted."

"Maybe you aren't the best, but you're better than a lot of people."

"Perhaps." Genesis regarded Cloud for a moment, wondering how it was possible for him to have earned his respect. "But I'm not better than you."

Cloud glanced over his shoulder, as if he could possibly have been referring to someone else. "S-Sir?"

"You've changed me, Cloud. Heroes are people who make changes. So by default, that makes you a hero," Genesis said, raising an eyebrow. "Doesn't it?"

"I... I never asked to be a hero."

"Neither did Sephiroth."

Light glimmered off the liquid welling up in Cloud's eyes. "I don't know what to say," he whispered. "Thank you."

Genesis smiled. "No, thank _you."_

A tear dripped down Cloud's face, leaving a wet trail behind. "I-I'm really going to miss you, Genesis."

At that, the commander furrowed his brow. "Miss me?"

"I passed my test. It was what I wanted, but..." Sniffling, Cloud wiped his face. "Training won't be the same without you."

"Who said you'd have to do it without me?"

"B-But I thought you were just... for the bet...?"

Genesis nearly laughed out loud. _This_ was what Cloud was so upset about? Unbelievable! "I've discovered I quite like teaching. There are plenty of Thirds I could choose from, but I'd much rather train you." He cracked a smile. "Besides, you'll be a Third soon enough."

The look on Cloud's face was such pure joy that Genesis couldn't help himself. He extended his arms and embraced the cadet.

"Th-thank you so much," Cloud blubbered into his coat, somewhere between laughing and crying. "I p-promise you won't regret this."

Genesis snorted. "I'd better not." Then, in a much softer tone, he added, "Congratulations."

Cloud pulled away, wiping away tears with his scarf. "Um... I got invited out to pizza tonight by some friends in class. Yuza and Zack are coming too. Um, would you... W-Would you like to come, too?"

Pizza with Zack Fair, a Turk trainee, and a bunch of cadets? Genesis sighed. Well, there were worse things.

"I'd love to come."

"Really? Zidane is dying to meet you..."

* * *

><p><em>Well, you did it, Cloud.<em>

_...No._

_No?_

We_ did it._

**THE END**

* * *

><p><strong>Regen's Final Thoughts:<strong>

If you're reading this, thank you. It means the absolute world to me that you are. If you've favorited, followed, or reviewed, thank you. You are the ones who made this story so popular, and that just blows my mind. Thank you for approaching this with an open mind and a sense of humor. Finishing this story is a milestone in my writing that I'm going to remember for the rest of my life. It's been two years since beginning _Making the Cut_, and in that time, I've had plenty of stories (much better, more epic stories, in my opinion) crop up that I could have pushed to the finish, but I'm glad this got to be my first, complete novel-length piece. It's quirky and makes me facepalm more than Squall, but I had too much fun writing it to hold any sort of grudge against it. So, if you loved it, great! If you hated it, great! That makes three of us!

Again, thank you. See you guys in whatever comes next! :D

_RegenesisX_


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